Accused Killer Confesses To Killing Auburndale Victim: Polk County Sheriff

POLK COUNTY, FL — An Auburndale suspect accused of killing an 81-year-old man in early March will be extradited back to Polk County Jail following his arrest in Georgia, a Polk County Sheriff's Office news release said.

Thirty-year-old David Jesse Williams faces charges of first-degree murder, tampering with evidence, grand theft auto, and assault with a deadly weapon, according to deputies.

A witness reported the 81-year-old Auburndale victim missing on March 9 following six days of not hearing from the victim. She told authorities that Williams had a history of being violent with the victim, the news release said.

Auburndale Police Department investigators got a tip that Williams could be in Hinesville, Ga. Officers in Georgia accused Williams of wearing gloves and cleaning the inside of the victim's truck when they found him at an undisclosed Georgia location. Detectives said blood was inside the cab of the truck and a shovel was found in the bed of the truck.

According to the news release, Willams confessed to investigators that he used a black rope to choke the victim in rural Polk County, and that he moved the victim's body to the rear floor of the truck for the drive to Georgia where he is accused of burying the body.

Deputies said they found the body in a shallow grove exactly where Williams told detectives.

Detectives said the black rope remained wrapped around the neck of the victim.

“Our members responded initially to a missing and endangered 81-year-old resident of Auburndale," Auburndale Police Chief Any Ray said. "They worked tirelessly over the next three days, during which they found out the victim had been killed in an area north of Polk City, taken to a wooded area in Long County, Georgia, and buried. We worked with the Liberty County (Ga.) Sheriff’s Office and the Worthville Police Department to locate and interview the suspect. They obtained a confession and were led to the buried body of the victim by the suspect. We also coordinated our investigation with Polk County Sheriff’s Office detectives, who are among the best in the business, demonstrating again the value of teamwork and cooperation.”