LAKE WALES, Fla. — A former Florida Gators player was arrested in Polk County on Saturday in relation to the 2016 murder of a Fort Myers woman, according to police.
Earl Antonio Joiner, 33, was arrested in Lake Wales around 10:30 a.m., the Fort Myers Police Department says. He is charged with second-degree murder.
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Joiner is accused of killing Heyzel Obando, 26, on Valentines Day in 2016. According to News-Press, the two were married.
Obando was found dead in her apartment and her murder went unsolved for over three years. News-Press reports that Joiner had been arrested twice for beating Obando.
Fort Myers police say the arrest of Joiner was the culmination of a multi-agency effort. They also say they worked closely on the case with the Oxygen Television series Cold Justice and the Office of the State Attorney.
Obando was a mother of two. According to News-Press, the young children are now in the care of their grandmother.
Joiner is being held in the Polk County Jail, but will be transferred to the Lee County Jail. He played safety for the Gators from 2004 through 2007, and served as team captain during his senior season, according to News-Press.
