Vickie Lynn Williams in a mugshot Chatham County, Georgia. Police named her as a “person of interest” in Sharon and Darryl Getman being found dead in their apartment.
Police have identified a person of interest in what authorities describe as a “random” double-homicide of an elderly couple in Florida found dead on New Year’s Eve.
Authorities released the name of 50-year-old Vickie Lynn Williams in connection with the deaths of Sharon Getman, 80, and Darryl Getman, 83.
Williams, whose name was previously shielded, has not been charged with killing them.
The city of Mount Dora, Florida, released her identity in a press release put out on Wednesday.
Records from Chatham County, Georgia, show that Williams was arrested Monday and detained on an out-of-state hold. Gibson said in a press conference on Tuesday that this “person of interest” was only charged with stealing the Getmans’ car from their senior living community in Mount Dora, but authorities are working to get probable cause for murder.
Chatham County records obtained by Law&Crime show Williams was arrested in 2012 and 2014 for traffic laws, including driving with a suspended or revoked license and driving without tail lights. She was also arrested on April 9, 2022 for extradition to a Beaufort County. Online court records in Williams’ name out of Beaufort County, South Carolina, showed a larceny case filed on Nov. 21, 2016. The defendant in this case was first arrested on Nov. 19, 2016, but South Carolina records show a bench warrant being served years later on April 16, 2022.
Gibson previously said that the “person of interest” had no known connection between Mount Dora and very limited connection with anything in the region of Central Florida.
“It appears it was a random crime,” he told reporters in a press conference.
Gibson said that it was the same woman who got kicked out of the Waterman Village senior living community on Friday afternoon and later tried to talk her way into an apartment (not the Getmans’) later that night, allegedly stealing keys for a car and a mailbox. Authorities believe Williams was the person seen driving off in the Getmans’ car early Saturday, as captured on surveillance footage. Sharon and Darryl were found dead in their home later that afternoon. The cause of death remained under investigation, Gibson said.
“We are stunned, devastated and heart-broken by the horrific murder of our parents,” the couple’s children Anthony and Brittany Getman said in a statement released on Wednesday. “If there are words to describe what has happened and it’s impact to our family and the community, we have not found them. Mom and Dad had been residents of Mount Dora for over 20 years and truly loved the area. They were enjoying their golden years staying active and spending time with their many friends. We appreciate all the support we have received. It just shows how well thought of our parents were. We have every confidence in Chief Michael Gibson and the Mount Dora PD and Special Agent Lee Massie and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. They and their teams have worked tirelessly together and with other agencies to solve this crime. We look forward to a successful resolution. We humbly ask you to respect our privacy in this most difficult time and to allow law enforcement to complete their mission to solve this tragically unnecessary crime.”
[Mugshot of Williams via Chatham County Jail; image of the Getmans via Mount Dora Police Department]