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Former University Of Florida Football Star Arrested In Cold Case Murder From Three Years Ago

FORT MYERS (CBSMiami/AP) — A sad and unfortunate story out of central Florida as a man who could have been a professional athlete is now behind bars.

Former University of Florida football star Earl 'Tony' Joiner has been charged with killing his wife.

Earl Joiner MUGSHOT
Mugshot for 33-year-old Earl Anthony Joiner. (Source: Polk County Sheriff's Office)

Joiner was arrested Saturday for second-degree murder in the 2016 killing of his wife Heyzel Obando.

The 26-year-old's body was discovered in her apartment on Valentine's Day. Fort Myers Police did not release any other details, saying only that they worked closely with the TV series "Cold Justice". The couple has two children.

As a junior in college, Joiner led all of UF's defensive backs with 59 tackles. Florida went on to beat Ohio State for the BCS national championship to end that season.

During his senior year, Joiner had 64 tackles and two interceptions, but the Lakeland Ledger reports he ran into legal problems after being arrested for allegedly breaking into an impound lot to remove his girlfriend's car.

Florida v LSU
Safety Tony Joiner #19 of the Florida Gators looks up at the scoreboard in the finals seconds of the game against the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on October , 2007 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Source: Doug Benc/Getty Images)

(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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