A woman who allegedly slaughtered a frightened elderly couple and stole their car cackled with delight when asked about her new wheels, her murder trial heard.
Vickie Williams, 50, is accused of killing Darryl, 83, and Sharon Getman, 80, at their Mount Dora, Florida home, near Orlando, on December 31, 2022.
She allegedly armed herself with a kitchen knife and stabbed the couple several times, her trial heard this week, WESH 2 reported.
Prosecutors claim she laundered her clothes in the Getmans’ home and then fled to Savannah, Georgia in a green Kia Soul registered to the couple, the court heard.
Williams, who denied knowing the vehicle was stolen, told police she was homeless and claimed her friend, Fuller Blue Jr, lent her the car to sleep in.
Blue took the stand this week, telling the court how Williams showed up at his Savannah apartment after the fatal stabbings.
‘She busted out laughing,’ Blue, who works with people experiencing homelessness, told the court. ‘She said everything was ok. She bought her a new car.’
Williams is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and grand theft of a motor vehicle. She pleaded not guilty to all charges, court records show, with the defense asking the jury not to convict her due to an alleged psychosis at the time of the killings.
Sharon, 80, and Darryl Getman, 83, were stabbed to death at their Mount Dora, Florida home on December 31, 2022
Vickie Williams, 50, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and grand theft of a motor vehicle. She has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity
Sharon was found lying dead in a puddle of blood in their home at the Waterman Village retirement community around 4pm on December 31, 2022, according to a probable cause affidavit reviewed by the Daily Mail.
There were white towels beside her and police discovered Darryl, her husband of more than 50 years, nearby, the court filing said.
He had ‘severe head and facial trauma as well as a large butcher-style knife with a yellow handle stuck to the hilt in his abdomen,’ according to the affidavit.
Police said that Darryl appeared to have sustained defensive wounds, indicating that he had tried to fend off the attacker.
Officers descended on the property after a concerned neighbor noticed the couple’s garage door was open and called security, the court filing said.
Security officers subsequently found the couple dead inside the residence. Several paintings and jewelry were also missing from the home.
Williams’ DNA was found on knives recovered from the crime scene, a beer bottle and a partially eaten brownie, a Florida Department of Law Enforcement lab analyst testified.
Prosecutors showed the court images of jewelry that police said Williams was wearing when she was arrested in Georgia.
The defense claims that Williams, seen in court this week, was suffering from psychosis at the time of the murders
Prosecutors showed the court images of jewelry that police said Williams was wearing when she was arrested in Georgia. The couple’s daughter, Brittany Getman, took the stand this week and identified the pieces as belonging to Sharon
The couple’s daughter, Brittany Getman, took the stand this week and identified the pieces as belonging to her mother.
‘That’s my mom’s wedding ring,’ Brittany told the court.
Williams was spotted in the retirement community multiple times on December 30 and 31, the court heard.
She even knocked on a different resident’s door and asked to take a shower, the trial was told, according to FOX 35.
That resident pressed her panic button to alert authorities. Williams later returned to the neighborhood and slaughtered the couple, police said.
Prosecutors allege that Williams acted with premeditation when she killed the couple, while the defense claims she was suffering from psychosis.
‘Because of her psychosis, we will learn that Ms Williams believed Mr and Mrs Getman were going to rape and kill her children and she had to stop them from doing so, even though this sounds crazy,’ her public defender Amanda Sizemore said during opening statements.
The defense called mental health counselor Shellie FanFan Dinall to the stand on Thursday to comment on Williams’ mental state at the time.
Sharon, left, and Darryl, right, had been married for more than 50 years. They moved into the Waterman Village retirement community in Mount Dora, Florida, to live out their golden years
Williams was spotted in the Waterman Village retirement community multiple times on December 30 and 31, 2022, the court heard. Police say she allegedly asked another resident to let her into their home so she could shower
Dinall, who works with a charity that provides a safe house for human trafficking survivors, testified that Williams was receiving assistance from the organization.
She did not have to provide proof of having been trafficked to receive support from the charity, the court heard.
Charity staff quickly grew concerned for Williams because she was ‘responding to internal stimuli, which is basically hearing voices,’ Dinall said, according to WESH.
Although prosecutors concede that Williams was mentally ill, they argue that she was aware of her actions and knew they were wrong.
The defense, which wants her to be found not guilty by reason of insanity, says ‘her mind was completely detached.’
The trial resumes Tuesday at the Lake County courthouse. If convicted, Williams could face the death penalty.
