FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — A former University of Florida football star has been charged with killing his wife in what had been a three-year-old cold case.
Earl "Tony" Joiner was arrested Saturday for second-degree murder in the 2016 killing of his wife Heyzel Obando. The former football safety was at one point a team captain for the Gators under Coach Urban Meyers and was part of the team that defeated Ohio State for the BCS national championship his junior year.
The body of his 26-year-old wife was discovered in her apartment on Valentine's Day. Fort Myers Police did not release any other details, saying only that they worked closely with the TV series "Cold Justice" and the state attorney's office to solve Obando's alleged murder.
The couple's two children have been living with their grandmother since Obando's death.
The Fort Myers News-Press says Joiner was previously arrested twice on complaints that he beat Obando. Joiner was being held with no bond in the Polk County Jail on Sunday. It's unclear if he has retained an attorney who could comment on the charges.
As a junior in college, Joiner led all of UF's defensive backs with 59 tackles. During his senior year, Joiner had 64 tackles and two interceptions, but ran into legal problems when he was arrested for allegedly breaking into a towing company impound lot to remove his girlfriend's car. The charges were later dropped after he paid the bill.
Joiner was captain of the 2007 team that also included star tight end Aaron Hernandez, who was serving a life sentence for murder when he hanged himself in his prison cell in 2017.
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