TAVARES, Fla. — A Lake County jury needed only about 30 minutes Tuesday to find Vickie Lynn Williams guilty of murdering an elderly Mount Dora couple inside their Waterman Village home nearly four years ago.
Williams, 53, was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of Darryl Getman, 83, and Sharon Getman, 80.
The State Attorney’s Office is seeking the death penalty. Proceedings will resume Thursday for the jury to consider whether Williams should be sentenced to death.
“This verdict brings accountability for the brutal deaths of Darryl and Sharon Getman,” State Attorney Bill Gladson said. “Our office is grateful for the dedicated work of our law enforcement partners and the forensic analysts who worked tirelessly to uncover the evidence in this case. Most importantly, we remember Darryl and Sharon and the lives they should have been able to continue living.”
The Getmans were found dead Dec. 31, 2022, inside their home at Lakeside at Waterman Village on Lake Margaret Circle.
Both had been stabbed multiple times. Darryl Getman suffered severe head and facial trauma and had defensive wounds, and a large butcher knife was still in his abdomen when police found him, according to a probable cause affidavit. Sharon Getman suffered head trauma and significant blood loss.
Numerous bloody footprints and shoe prints were found inside the home and in the garage, where the couple normally parked their green Kia Soul.
Surveillance footage captured Williams driving the stolen Kia from Waterman Village at 2:02 a.m. Dec. 31. Authorities said she also took jewelry and paintings belonging to the Getmans.
Williams traveled through South Carolina before reaching Savannah, Georgia, where a police officer found her with the Kia at an Amtrak station Jan. 2, 2023.
She initially told investigators a friend named “Fuller Blue” gave her the vehicle after she told him she was homeless, according to the affidavit.
Williams was initially arrested on a grand theft auto charge. Two first-degree murder charges were added after investigators connected her to the Getmans’ deaths, and a grand jury indicted her later that month.
During the trial, prosecutors presented physical and forensic evidence, surveillance footage and property belonging to the Getmans that was found in Williams’ possession. Evidence analyzed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Orlando Regional Crime Laboratory also connected Williams to the crime scene, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
Williams has been held without bond in the Lake County Jail since she was extradited to Florida on Jan. 6, 2023.
The case was delayed after Williams was found incompetent to proceed in May 2024 because of her mental illness. She was committed to the Florida Department of Children and Families for treatment and was found competent to proceed later that year.
Assistant State Attorneys Thomas Wieczorek and Nicholas Camuccio prosecuted the case.
Previous stories: Mount Dora Police Investigating After 2 People Found Dead in Waterman Village Apartment New Year’s Eve – Inside Lake
Mount Dora Police Tight-Lipped on Deaths of Married Waterman Village Couple – Inside Lake
Person of Interest in Mount Dora Double Slayings Booked Into Lake County Jail – Inside Lake
BREAKING NEWS: Person of Interest in Mount Dora Slayings Now Facing Murder Charges – Inside Lake
Mount Dora Murder Suspect in Court Saturday Morning, Judge Appoints Public Defender – Inside Lake
Suspect in Mount Dora Double Slayings Indicted by Grand Jury – Inside Lake
State to Seek Death Penalty in Brutal Murders of Elderly Mount Dora Couple – Inside Lake
Suspect in Mount Dora slayings mentally incompetent, judge rules – Inside Lake
Mount Dora double-slaying suspect competent to proceed, judge orders – Inside Lake
