LAKE MARY, Fla. – A man accused of stealing a truck and then intentionally running over and killing his girlfriend in Lake Mary four years ago has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of second-degree murder, carjacking and other crimes.
Toivontae “Toby” Williams, 31, was found guilty on July 28 in the death of Katrina Redden following a six-day trial in Sanford. He was sentenced on Thursday, Aug. 7, records show.
The presented evidence and testimony led the jury to convict Williams of murder, according to the state attorney’s office for the 18th Judicial Circuit.
An acquaintance, Javier Martinez, testified he was driving Williams and Redden around Sanford on the night of May 24, 2021, in a white Ford F-150 pickup.
Martinez said Williams became angry, accused him of flirting with Redden, and began beating him inside the truck. Martinez escaped the vehicle barefoot and without his phone or wallet.
Security cameras later showed him walking in his socks along Hidden Lake Drive before reaching a 7-Eleven store, where he called for help shortly before midnight, a news release states.
[VIDEO: Suspect in Lake Mary hit-and-run arrested]
Meanwhile, surveillance video captured the white Ford truck driving south toward Lake Mary. Around 11:40 p.m., a 911 caller reported hearing a man yell, “Get a ride now!” before seeing the truck run over Redden near a parking lot. The driver then turned around and ran over her again, killing her, prosecutors said.
At trial, Williams’ defense attorney highlighted the absence of traffic-camera photos proving Williams was driving the truck at the time of the murder. Williams had accused Martinez in police interviews.
However, prosecutors introduced location data from Williams’ mobile phone that placed him at both crime scenes, matching witness accounts and video evidence.
“His phone tells you when he killed her,” prosecutor Domenick Leo told jurors. “The defendant is trying to frame an innocent man.”
Williams was also convicted of trafficking more than 14 grams of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Because he committed these crimes within three years of a prior prison release, jurors agreed he should be sentenced as a prison releasee re-offender, which carries tougher mandatory minimum sentences in Florida.