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37-year-old ex-Florida player Earl Tony Joiner was arrested in 2019 and charged with his wife's death that took place in 2016. He was charged with second-degree murder, in connection to the death of the victim identified as 26-year-old Heyzel Obando. It was also revealed last month that Earl Tony Joiner reached a plea deal with prosecutors.
On Monday, Joiner was found guilty of the second-degree murder of his wife and has been sentenced to 25 years in jail. Prosecutors initially also claimed that he possibly killed his wife in front of their young children.
Joiner reportedly made a 911 call on Valentine's Day and claimed to have found his wife covered in a pool of blood. It was further mentioned that when authorities arrived, they found Earl Tony Joiner sitting on the curb and he didn't appear to be emotional about his wife's death.
Earl Tony Joiner killed his wife Heyzel Obando in 2016 and has been sentenced to 25 years in prison
The incident took place in 2016 on Valentine's Day when Joiner's wife was found dead in Fort Myers. When officers arrived at the crime scene, they discovered that Heyzel had been shot in the head, with one bullet that hit her temple and struck her in the spinal cord. She was declared dead at the scene, and it took years for Earl Tony Joiner to be arrested in 2019. The sentencing hearing came after over seven years of Obando's death.
In June 2019, Earl Tony Joiner was taken into custody on a charge of second-degree murder with a firearm. As per KIRO 7, 37-year-old Joiner reportedly played four seasons at Florida and also was a captain during his senior year. During the championship season, Earl Tony Joiner led the Gators with 59 tackles. A plea deal was confirmed last month by the attorneys of both sides.
The crime reportedly took place in front of Joiner's young daughters. The children were interviewed by an expert and one of the girls said:
“Poppy shooted Mommy. Mommy blood.”
According to an affidavit:
“She was asked if her mommy talked or said any words after that. She said ‘No.’”
Joiner's history of violence
People who knew the couple mentioned that they had a strained relationship and that Joiner also had a bad, violent temper.
He allegedly once said:
“One day, I’m going to kill you.”
A neighbor reportedly witnessed an incident where Joiner grabbed his wife by her neck and then slammed her against the wall. As per Law&Crime, the witness further recalled Heyzel saying:
“I told my mom that if something ever happens to me, it will be him [Joiner].”
The affidavit also confirmed that there were two prior cases of domestic violence against the ex-player back in 2013. In the first instance, he was accused of beating his wife in a mall during a heated argument. The second incident took place after Christmas in 2013 when Joiner hit her in the forehead.
