Audio interviews detail detective's killing

Evidence photos inside house raided as meth lab also released

GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla. – In audio interviews obtained by Channel 4, Clay County deputies describe what happened the night Detective David White was shot and killed and his partner was wounded in a meth lab raid in February 2012.

In one of those recordings, a Florida Department of Law Enforcement interview conducted the day after the killing, Capt. Barry Abramowitz explained the last few moments he saw his colleague alive as they raided a house on Alligator Boulevard.

"As the door opens, I run up and get right behind Dave White," Abramowitz said. "And as the door opens, I don't know if someone was trying to close it or trying to wedge something in there, then I heard a shot and Dave went down."

Abramowitz told FDLE investigators that he was following six inches behind White when convicted felon Ted Tilley shot White in the head. Tilley was later shot and killed by deputies as he tried to run away from his Middleburg home.

Abramowitz told investigators he didn't realize Detective Matt Hanlin (pictured below) had also been shot. He said he was focused on trying to revive White.

"He had his weapon out. It fell to his feet, and I grabbed him and started pulling him back a little bit," Abramowitz said. "And that's when I started putting the pressure on his head."

After officers cleared the scene, they found a methamphetamine lab inside that deputies suspected had been operating out of the home for weeks. They found gas masks and glass containers containing liquid meth.

EVIDENCE PHOTOS: Inside meth lab house

Jerry Daniels, Ryan Wilder, Jennifer Alder and Chasity Prescott were all inside the home at the time, and because an officer died during the commission of felony, all four face murder charges.

Deputies were recording audio when they told Tilley's parents about his death, and to the surprise of some, Tilley's father's concern was for White's family, not his son.

"Between me and you, I grieve for the deputy's family and not my son's," Glen Tilley said.

Tilley's mother told investigators her son wasn't a violent person, but according to witnesses and documents, Tilley made statements that he was never going back to jail.

"I honestly never saw anything that would have triggered any concern that he would take someone else's life," Deborah Tilley said. "That's one of the things that baffled me. He didn't seem like the violent type at all."


About the Authors:

Tarik anchors the 4, 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. weekday newscasts and reports with the I-TEAM.