According to authorities, a man was arrested by Georgia police for allegedly planning the murder of his wife at his sports park and then fleeing to Costa Rica with the family nanny.
In connection with the death of his wife, Doris Worrell, who was shot and murdered almost twenty years ago when she was 39, Jon Worrell, 58, is charged with felony murder, malice murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and aggravated assault.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation stated in a press statement that although the suspect may have escaped punishment, the nanny started assisting the police once their romance ended and he returned to the United States.
On September 20, 2006, a murder took place at Jon’s Sports Park in Douglas, Georgia, in southern Georgia.
At first, GBI and Coffee County Sheriff’s Office investigators thought that Jon Worrell was a heartbroken husband and his wife were either victims of a botched robbery or retaliated against him for ejecting a customer from the establishment.
However, as the inquiry went on, it became clear that things were not as they seemed.
Police discovered that Jon was having an affair with the then-18-year-old nanny, who had moved in with the family two or three years earlier, and that the Worrells were experiencing marital problems.
According to police, he wanted to divorce his wife but was afraid of losing custody of their three children, all of whom were under the age of twelve at the time. Thus, he allegedly devised a plan to murder her.
According to police, Glidden Rodriguez and Brandon Cage were recruited by Jon Worrell and then detained for conspiring to commit the murder.
They have never been arrested again, though, when investigators withdrew the allegations due to insufficient evidence. Since then, Rodriguez has passed away.
Following the death of his wife, Jon Worrell relocated to Florida and then Costa Rica, where he was joined by his girlfriend nanny, who was deported from the US in part due to her refusal to provide police with crucial evidence on the murder.
Together, they reared Jon and Doris’ kids.
Nevertheless, Jon Worrell and the nanny broke up in recent years. In the hopes that the rejected lover would provide the necessary information, detectives headed to Costa Rica.
That’s exactly what she did. Investigators had what they needed to make an arrest with her statement. The man was arrested by police at his Missouri residence.
“I want to be clear: This case has never been forgotten,” Coffee County Sheriff Fred Cole stated. “While the road has been long and often frustrating, we never gave up. Justice delayed is still justice. Today we honor Doris and her loved ones with this long awaited breakthrough.”
According to officials, the capture should also serve as a warning to other killers who believe they may evade justice just because years have gone by since their murder.
“This investigation should also give hope to the families of victims in other cold cases that the answers they seek are still being sought,” GBI Special Agent in Charge Jason Seacrist stated. “It should produce fear and sleepless nights for the offenders in other cold cases because law enforcement will not stop looking for you. It should bring pride and confidence in the communities we serve, knowing that law enforcement has not forgotten and will continue to investigate these cases, no matter how long it takes.”
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LeAnn Tuggle, the sister of Doris Worrell, stated that she became suspicious of her ex-brother-in-law after he and the children left the country and refused to disclose their whereabouts.
“Why would he pick up his family and move and why would he not let us know his location when he moved out of the country? Things like that didn’t add up,” she stated.
According to Tuggle, her sister should be remembered for her kindness rather than her passing.
“She was the sweetest, the absolute sweetest person anyone could have known,” she stated.
After refusing extradition, the suspect was taken to the Coffee County Jail and is currently being held without bond.
