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Ashley and Tracey Humphrey Case Analysis (Murder of Sandra Rozzo)
Dr. Todd Grande's 19-minute overview: the quickest complete way into the case.
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Sandra Lee "Sandee" Rozzo worked as a bartender at the Green Iguana in Pinellas Park, Florida. On July 5, 2003, she was shot to death in the garage of her townhouse after returning home from her shift. She had previously been in a brief but volatile relationship with coworker Timothy "Tracey" Humphrey, who had a prior criminal record including convictions for motor vehicle theft, kidnapping, and aggravated assault. In February of that year, Humphrey had been arrested for felony battery after allegedly beating and sexually assaulting Rozzo, and criminal proceedings against him were ongoing at the time of her death; he had been due to stand trial on that charge on August 4, 2003, one month after the murder.
Humphrey became the prime suspect in the investigation but presented an alibi, claiming he had ordered a pizza to his Brandon, Florida apartment at the time of the crime, which was corroborated by an acquaintance. However, investigators found that Humphrey's wife of one day, Ashley Humphrey (née Laney), was not at their home during the crime. Cell phone records placed her in Pinellas Park at the time Rozzo was killed. Ashley Humphrey and Tracey Humphrey had married on July 4, 2003, the day before the murder, after meeting at a local gym in 2002.
Ashley Humphrey was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, while Tracey Humphrey was charged with federal firearms possession. While in custody, Ashley Humphrey began cooperating with authorities, admitting that she had shot Rozzo to death but claiming she had done so at her husband's direction. She provided detailed statements about the plot to kill Rozzo, as well as information about an earlier, failed attempt on Rozzo's life. As part of a plea bargain, Ashley Humphrey pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for her testimony against Tracey Humphrey. This cooperation gave prosecutors sufficient evidence to charge him with first-degree murder.
Tracey Humphrey's trial began in February 2006. Ashley Humphrey testified against him under oath, describing how she waited for hours for Rozzo to finish her shift at the Green Iguana, followed her home, and fired eight shots into her. Tracey Humphrey testified in his own defense, asserting the killing had been Ashley's idea, but the jury did not find his account convincing. He was convicted of first-degree murder on February 25, 2006. Although he faced a possible death sentence, jurors chose life without parole, reportedly believing it would be a harsher punishment. He was later sentenced to an additional 15 years for a pre-trial escape attempt in April 2004, and is incarcerated at South Bay Correctional Facility in South Bay, Florida.
On March 10, 2006, Ashley Humphrey was sentenced to 25 years for murder under her plea agreement. She is incarcerated at Gadsden Correctional Facility in Quincy, Florida, with a scheduled release date of December 13, 2028.
The case has been the subject of multiple television documentary and true-crime program segments, including Dateline NBC, 48 Hours, Snapped, and other outlets.
