A U.S. Marine stationed in Florida has been charged with first-degree murder after a woman’s body was discovered in a pond in Alabama.
The Marine, 20-year-old Willie Richard Ellington, was arrested on December 18 in Lee County, Alabama, on the same day authorities found the body of Tshey Bennett, a 26-year-old mother, in Mobile. Bennett had been reported missing on December 14. Investigators revealed that Bennett, who worked as an escort, had last been seen alive on December 13 near a hotel in Pensacola, Florida.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office shared that Ellington was stationed at Naval Air Station Pensacola, located along Florida’s Gulf Coast. Detectives connected Ellington and Bennett to a stay at the Sweet Dreams Inn in Pensacola on the last day she was seen.
Authorities began treating Bennett’s disappearance as suspicious early on, suspecting foul play. Their investigation led them to Alabama, where Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones explained how Ellington was captured. Jones said that investigators learned Ellington was planning to board a bus in Alabama, prompting them to rush to the station. They set up a surveillance operation and arrested Ellington as soon as he arrived.
Evidence showed that Bennett and Ellington had met at 4 p.m. on December 13 at the hotel. Tragically, her body was found five days later, 50 miles away, in a pond in Mobile. Officials confirmed that Bennett’s murder happened in Florida, although her body was left in Alabama.
Bennett was a single mother and had previously appeared on a reality show called “Skrippa Bootcamp,” which highlighted the lives of exotic dancers. The authorities have not yet released her cause of death.
Ellington is now facing serious charges, including first-degree murder and possession of child pornography. He is currently being held without bail at the Lee County Detention Center.
