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POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA)— A Polk County man was sentenced to life in prison for a double murder in 2020, the State Attorney’s Office announced.
Todd Jackson was arrested after deputies were contacted by a witness who said he had information about a double murder on March 5, 2020.
According to the State Attorney’s Office, Jackson was angry with one of the victims for a variety of reasons and drove to the home where both victims were residing. Jackson entered the bedroom and killed Raymond Cline, 33, and Crystal Cline, 37.
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The bodies of the victims were later found in a swamp located behind the home, and a burned mattress was located in a firepit.
Jackson was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for two counts of first-degree murder, burglary of an occupied dwelling while armed with a firearm, tampering with physical evidence, and armed kidnapping.
According to authorities, the two had not been heard from since Feb. 21, 2020.
Investigators learned the couple’s roommate, Jackson’s stepdaughter, Amberlyn Nichols, sold Raymond Cline’s truck for $200.
Sheriff Grady Judd said Nichols allegedly told someone she was selling his truck “because he had been murdered.”
Detectives also learned Raymond Cline was accused of stealing $30,000 from Jackson.
Nichols told PCSO her stepfather shot Raymond and his wife in the head while they slept before dragging their bodies through their bedroom window and dumping them in a swamp, with the help of Nichols and her boyfriend, Larry Waters Jr.
Nichols and Waters Jr. were also arrested and charged with failing to report a death, accessory after the fact, and dealing with stolen property.
