Ex-Florida Gators captain Tony Joiner pleads no contest to 2016 murder
Former Florida football captain Earl “Tony” Joiner was found guilty in the 2016 death of his girlfriend and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
This week, Joiner had pleaded no contest to one count of second-degree murder with a firearm in the slaying of 26-year-old Heyzel Obando, according to Lee County Court records.
Joiner, 37, was credited with 1,455 days in jail and will not be allowed to contact the victim’s family, including his two daughters.
Monday’s hearing came seven years after Obando was found dead in Fort Myers. An affidavit obtained by The Ledger in Lakeland said she was shot in the head.
The case was quiet for years until an examination by Cold Justice, a true-crime show on the TV network Oxygen. After the show began its work, Joiner was arrested in June 2019. Authorities in Lee County credited the show’s work and budget for helping the investigation along.
Joiner appeared in 47 games with 27 starts for the Gators from 2004-07. The Haines City native led Florida defensive backs with 59 tackles during the 2006 national title run. He recorded a tackle and broke up a pass in the win over Ohio State in the BCS national championship game and was a captain on the 2007 team. He was also a teammate of Aaron Hernandez, the late Gators star who was found guilty of murder in 2015.
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