YULEE, Fla. – Nassau County officials have released a man accused of killing his stepmother during a robbery of a produce stand in Yulee 10 days ago and are investigating whether the man killed Monday night in St. Johns County after a police chase could be the killer.
Paulette Waters, 59, was working at the Down Home Market when she was shot during what deputies first described as an armed robbery on Sept. 22. Two days later, deputies arrested the victim's stepson, Timothy Waters, 46, and charged him with murder and robbery.
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Tuesday morning, Timothy Waters, 46, was released from jail.
"I kind of feel embarrassed that I'm known as the stepson who supposedly killed his stepmother. Maybe my name will get cleared up," Timothy Waters said.
Nassau Sheriff Tommy Seagraves said a witness had seen Timothy Waters leaving the produce stand shortly before his stepmother was shot, but a follow-up investigation revealed that his alibi was verified. He was even seen on surveillance video at a salvage yard in Duval County about the time Paulette Waters was shot.
His stepmother's memorial was the first place Timothy Waters went after being freed.
"She was not only my stepmother, she was my friend and she will be missed deeply. Now, it's time to build our family back, or try to," he said.
Family members told Channel 4's Emily Pantelides that they are happy Timothy Waters was cleared, but they always knew he was innocent. The family is considering legal action against the sheriff's office.
"I just think they handled this case all wrong. They lost ... two more people were killed because they looked at the wrong person here," said Timothy Waters' sister-in-law Marsha Waters.
The development came less than 12 hours after a man suspected in homicides and armed robberies in four southeastern states wrecked a car and was shot and killed after a pursuit from Flagler into St. Johns County.
Investigators at the scene of the crash and shooting mentioned that William Ashby, who was wanted for murder in Virginia and attempted murder of a store clerk near Savannah, Ga., was also a suspect in a fatal shooting at a Beaufort County, S.C., produce stand.
Seagraves said deputies investigating Water's death went to South Carolina last week because of similarities in the cases, but Ashby was not mentioned as a suspect at that time.
"I never heard of Ashby's name until last night when I got a call from (St. Johns County) Sheriff David Shoar about the incident," Seagraves said. "We haven't said that's our suspect, but anything at this time can be ruled as a possibility. He could be considered a person of interest."
Seagraves said he has asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to compare the ballistics of any gun connected to Ashby to the bullet that killed Waters.
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- September 25, 2006: Nassau Sheriff: Store Clerk Killed By Stepson