Found Deceased FL - Damion Tillman, Keven Springfield, & Brandon Rollins, massacred, Frostproof, 17 July 2020 #2

[Katerz]

When I look at the footage at the Dollar Store of the exchange between DT and TJ, it looks to me like TJ ends the exchange exasperated - throwing his hands up in the air, repeatedly fussing with a cigarette. As far as he's concerned, the 'encounter' isn't over and hasn't settled anything. He looks really wound up to me.

I have assumed (right or wrong) that the exchange was TJ wanting to talk to DT about his 'stolen' truck and KS's whereabouts.

In any case, why on earth would DT tell the cashier he's going fishing with KS immediately after leaving the store when TJ and friends are standing right there listening and he knows TJ wants to confront Keven?

Bold by me. I agree 100% that he looks wound up. When I watch it, I can see the moment that his attitude switches from "hey man what's up" to "I'm going to get Keven". They often rode around in the truck with a gun. I want to be able to read what TJ's side of this is. Right now we only have Robert's and even some of the details from him are kind of.. iffy. I want to know if TJ will admit that he's been wanting to "end" this truck situation with Keven for a long time since that's what was going around town. Having something stolen is not a reason to murder someone in COLD BLOOD.

 

[Katerz]

If the truck was in fact, sold, I imagine that neither man would be overly concerned about a title.

Likewise, though whether a legally recognizable sale occurred might be easy to determine, any inquiry into whether or not the truck was considered sold or stolen by the parties involved could get hopelessly bogged down into muddy and fuzzy and muddy verbal agreements such as

- Was the sale conditional and based on certain conditions being met before the sale would be final?
- Was the truck truly sold, or..... was it on long term loan or lease? If so, could the lease be retracted?
- Was the truck being used as collateral for something?

Regardless of the possible fuzzy detail, it goes with out saying that nobody needed to get killed over this.

Yeah and unfortunately now there's only one person to tell the story of what happened seeing as he murdered the other person who is able to disclose that information. And I wouldn't put much into what a murderer has to say when he's speaking of the motive behind said murder.

 

[worm]

Are we thinking that Mr Rollins used the same entrance on the lake rd that the perps used to exit? Or did they continue the other way and follow the rd to another end? It just seems that Mr Rollins would have passed them.

 

[Cryptic]

Yeah and unfortunately now there's only one person to tell the story of what happened seeing as he murdered the other person who is able to disclose that information. And I wouldn't put much into what a murderer has to say when he's speaking of the motive behind said murder.

Well said and too the point.

After a triple murder following an encounter that the assailant initiated, it does not really matter whether the theft accusation was completely false, fully accurate, or due to fuzzy factors, somewhat accurate.

 

[Truecolors]

Are we thinking that Mr Rollins used the same entrance on the lake rd that the perps used to exit? Or did they continue the other way and follow the rd to another end? It just seems that Mr Rollins would have passed them.

Do we know that the bad guys were still on the scene when Brandon called his father?

 

[Katerz]

Well said and too the point.

After a triple murder, it does not really matter whether the theft accusation was false, full accurate, or due to fuzzy factors, somewhat accurate.

I hope I wasn't offensive with what I said in respects to Keven. I would never want to say ill against someone who's not here to defend themselves especially over the tone of their demise. I'm just so angry over all of this.

 

[ajaylee]

Do we know that the bad guys were still on the scene when Brandon called his father?

I think so, although it's hard to tell. Brandon's father mentioned static or confused noise in the background, IIRC.

I'm having trouble with that part of the evening. Brandon's phone was found in the truck, but Brandon was outside the truck. It's not clear to me at what point he called his dad. Presumably he called from inside the truck and left the phone in the truck when he ended up outside the truck. It's not clear to me if he exited the truck after the call or if KS pulled him out of the truck or...???

 

[Cryptic]

I hope I wasn't offensive with what I said in respects to Keven. I would never want to say ill against someone who's not here to defend themselves especially over the tone of their demise. I'm just so angry over all of this.

I don't think you were offensive at all.

Rather, you were objectively implying that there could be merit to the assailant's claim that the truck was stolen, but that as he now has an awful lot of self interest in spinning the circumstances regarding any agreement with the truck, anything he says is going to be considered very suspect.

In the end, however, there are articulable facts that could make the assailant's claim that the truck was stolen plausible.

 

[ajaylee]

I don't think you were offensive at all.

Rather, you were objectively implying that there could be merit to the assailant's claim that the truck was stolen, but that as he now has an awful lot of self interest in spinning the circumstances regarding any agreement with the truck, anything he says is going to be considered very suspect.

In the end, however, there are articulable facts that could make the assailant's claim that the truck was stolen plausible.

Although...if TJ really legally owned a truck and it 'disappeared', I think a police report would be in order, particularly since he seems to think he knows who the guilty party was.

Of course, if he didn't legally own the truck or if there was something not quite legal going on, it would explain why he didn't go to the police when the truck/engine was allegedly stolen.

 

[Katerz]

Although...if TJ really legally owned a truck and it 'disappeared', I think a police report would be in order, particularly since he seems to think he knows who the guilty party was.

Of course, if he didn't legally own the truck or if there was something not quite legal going on, it would explain why he didn't go to the police when the truck/engine was allegedly stolen.

while that makes sense to us.. people like tj don’t call the law. They handle it on their own with revenge. And it’s sad.

 

[pepper 34]

I think so, although it's hard to tell. Brandon's father mentioned static or confused noise in the background, IIRC.

I'm having trouble with that part of the evening. Brandon's phone was found in the truck, but Brandon was outside the truck. It's not clear to me at what point he called his dad. Presumably he called from inside the truck and left the phone in the truck when he ended up outside the truck. It's not clear to me if he exited the truck after the call or if KS pulled him out of the truck or...???

Brandon's father said in the news report that he could hear "fussing" in the background while Brandon was asking for "help" using his cell phone.

"Fussing" is arguing so, I think, the call must have come during the time when TW was demanding to know where his truck was and K was denying knowing anything about it.

An alternative would be that TW and either M or RW were arguing after the murders and Brandon was still alive. But, then I would expect to see the cell phone with Brandon and not inside the truck. When we learn the time of the phone call and insert it into the timeline that should clear that up, imo.
All jmo.

 

[worm]

Since TJ was mad about a motor in the truck, I wondered if it was somewhere that Keven worked, since he was a mechanic, that TJ was mad with? Or some repair issue.

 

[10ofRods]

Well said and too the point.

After a triple murder following an encounter that the assailant initiated, it does not really matter whether the theft accusation was completely false, fully accurate, or due to fuzzy factors, somewhat accurate.

It could matter legally, in terms of extra charges - especially if all three knew this was a revenge crime. If only one person wielded a gun, but the others are involved in a conspiracy to exact revenge...that's a much greater crime.

I think it matters to know whether there was some kind of known dispute.

 

[Seattle1]

In the Dollar store video Tj watched intently as
DT put his change bills away into his wallet.
Tj knew DT had some bills on him. But also I wonder if Tj thought DT disrespected him in some sarcastic way while in line. Or maybe in Tj's scrambled, paranoid brain he thought this even if it didn't happen.
I believe Tj thought he had justification for killing all 3.
Brandon was a witness to the upcoming trial for Tj breaking the guy's arm w/ crowbar over
a road rage incident. Brandon was there when it happened.
So I believe Tj wanted them all taken out.
MOO

Wow -- I wasn't aware that Brandon was a witness to the assault with a deadly weapon that should have kept TJ locked up without bail.

In the store video, DT definitely pulls out his wallet to pay for his merchandise but he uses his debit/credit card as he's seen inserting the car and completing the transaction.

It's possible that DT had money in his wallet seen by TJ. DT does not seem guarded to me when pulling out his wallet with TJ standing near him.

More important ---I rewatched the Dollar General video earlier today because I wanted to confirm my recollection that DT did not seem rushed or in a hurry to get away from TJ after completing his transaction and leave the store. I think it was quite the opposite -- DT just seemed to take his time putting his card in his wallet and closing it up before collecting his carrier bag and leaving the store.

 

[Seattle1]

Brandon's father said in the news report that he could hear "fussing" in the background while Brandon was asking for "help" using his cell phone.

"Fussing" is arguing so, I think, the call must have come during the time when TW was demanding to know where his truck was and K was denying knowing anything about it.

An alternative would be that TW and either M or RW were arguing after the murders and Brandon was still alive. But, then I would expect to see the cell phone with Brandon and not inside the truck. When we learn the time of the phone call and insert it into the timeline that should clear that up, imo.
All jmo.

According to the Arrest Affidavit -- when TJ got out of the truck driven by Robert, he first approached Brandon that was standing, shining a flashlight and allegedly reaching behind the seat when TJ started yelling, rushed him, and pushed Brandon into the open truck door.

That's when TJ supposedly noticed Keven in the driver's seat and pulled the handgun from his waist and walked around the back of the truck to Keven.

I think it was at this moment that Brandon phoned his dad for help. I think Brandon knew this wasn't going to end well. And if it's true that Brandon recently witnessed TJ attack another victim with a crowbar -- eeek!

I've since heard Mr. Rollins also comment how Brandon didn't phone 911 -- and how he called his daddy because he knew he'd be right there.

Perhaps in Frostproof, 911 isn't necessarily the first call that local men make when there's trouble. I can somewhat understand that given this is Polk County (i.e., Judd county) where calling 911 means somebody's getting locked up. Maybe they first want to try and work it out among men.

In this case -- it would have been the best thing if 911 called because TJ would have been caught red-handed with a gun in his possession and his bond that he should have never been given revoked.

MOO

 

[worm]

I wonder if, tho it would be awfully thin, TJ thinks this tale of BR reaching behind the seat will be some kind of defense?

@Seattle1 , I find your observations on the DG video to be very reasonable.

 

[Angela_Beckett]

Young Damion ended his transactions, put his card in the wallet, got the bag, and went away without waving or gesturing good bye to TJ. Not even a bob of his head.
Their demeanor wasn’t relaxed at this point. They seemed irritated or something to me.
It leads me to believe the brief chat wasn’t pleasant nor friendly at all.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

How did we all miss this? TJ has written a 3 page confession saying everything (timestamp 27:04 per Tricia)

Tricia says that only TJ went into dollar general and Robert and Mary stayed in the car a few times in her video (once at ~27:50) but we have all seen the video that shows all 3 of the bad folks went in. MOO

Robert came in first, then TJ and Mary come in..
Then TJ and Mary walks out right before Damion walks in
Then Mary and TJ walk back in...etc.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

RSBM
Brandon was a witness to the upcoming trial for Tj breaking the guy's arm w/ crowbar over
a road rage incident.
Brandon was there when it happened.
So I believe Tj wanted them all taken out.
MOO

Do you know them? I didn't see that in any reports for case 2020CF002134000XX in Polk County, where was this information? I saw HL and BS and TJ's mom on the witness list, and TG was in the vehicle with TJ at the time, but nothing I see about Brandon.

DEMAND RECIPROCAL DISCOVERY & NOTICE OF ALIBI has the list of all the folks that would be witness at Welcome to Polk Records Online, the Polk County Clerk of Court’s consolidated case records search application. Please select from the available options.

 

[Seattle1]

I wonder if, tho it would be awfully thin, TJ thinks this tale of BR reaching behind the seat will be some kind of defense?

@Seattle1 , I find your observations on the DG video to be very reasonable.

It this was a situation of one man shooting another when he saw him reaching behind the seat, I think that would be a prudent position.

I don't see TJ getting much traction using that defense here with 3 men dead and two witnesses-- neither that ever mentioned feeling threatened or their lives in danger.

To my knowledge, no weapons were found in the vehicles of the victims.