Florida husband and wife murdered in Mount Dora senior community; person on interest in custody

A woman has been taken into custody as a person of interest in the murders of a Florida husband and wife at a senior living community over New Year's weekend, police announced during a news conference Tuesday afternoon. Mount Dora Interim Police Chief Mike Gibson said she was arrested out of state and will be extradited back to Florida in the coming days. Her identity has not been released at this time.

MOUNT DORA, Fla. - A person of interest in the investigation into the murders of a Florida couple killed inside their Mount Dora retirement community home has been identified.

According to the Mount Dora Police Department, Vickie Lynn Williams, 50, of Savannah, Georgia, was arrested out-of-state after she was found driving a car belonging to the victims, Darryl Getman, 83, and Sharon Getman, 80. She was taken into custody on a charge of vehicle theft and is being held in the Chatham County Sheriff's Office awaiting extradition to Florida.

Mount Dora Interim Police Chief Mike Gibson told reporters on Tuesday that a person of interest had been taken into custody, possibly linked to the killings of Darryl and Sharon Getman, who were found dead last weekend at their home within the gated Waterman Village retirement community.

Vickie Lynn Williams, 50, of Savannah, Georgia, was arrested on a charge of vehicle theft and is being held in the Chatham County Sheriff's Office awaiting extradition to Florida.

"They were enjoying their 'golden years' of retirement, something that we all kind of look forward to I think. However, in this case, the 'golden years' of Darryl and Sharon were tragically cut short by a ruthless and senseless double homicide," Gibson said.

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Saying he was "confident" in the investigation, Gibson on Tuesday said police and state prosecutors had already begun the process to have her extradited back to Florida, which will take time.

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'It appears it was a random crime': Person of interest in murder of Mount Dora couple in custody

Gibson said it appears to be a "random crime," and that the woman does not appear to have any connections to the Getman's, Mount Dora, or Central Florida.

She was "passing through," he said.

Sharon Getman, 80, and Darryl Getman, 83, were found murdered inside their Mount Dora retirement community home on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022.

TIMELINE

Mount Dora Interim Police Chief Gibson also released a more detailed timeline of interactions the woman allegedly had with residents and security at the retirement home.

Dec. 30, 2022

3 p.m. - A female dressed in a "very unique" outfit was escorted off the property by security. Police have not elaborated on that.
4:14 p.m. - Surveillance video shows the woman in the area again
10:58 p.m. - The woman enters the property again and knocks on the door of an apartment. She asks the tenant if she can take a shower. The tenant panicked, activated an emergency alarm, and the woman ran away.

As the woman ran away, she managed to grab a set of car keys and a key to a mailbox, Interim Police Chief Mike Gibson said.

Dec. 31, 2022

2:02 a.m. - A vehicle belonging to the Getman's is captured on camera leaving the retirement community.
Around 2:12 p.m. - The woman walks back to the property and is stopped by security. She leaves and security follows her off the property.
4 p.m. - A resident was concerned that the Getman's garage was left open and called police. Police arrived and discovered the husband and wife dead.

Gibson said the manner of their deaths was homicide. Mount Dora police have not shared details on when the pair died, how they died, or what evidence, if any, was found in the vehicle was found.

Interim Police Chief Gibson said he was not releasing those details as detectives build their case, comparing it to a 3,000-piece puzzle with the edges and sides filled out and the middle not yet completed.