Nearly three years after Polk County Deputy Blane Lane was shot and killed in the line of duty, the woman convicted of his murder learned on Friday that she will spend the rest of her life behind bars.
On October 4, 2022, Deputy Lane was helping serve a felony warrant in Polk City when the suspect, Cheryl Williams, pulled what was later determined to be a very realistic-looking BB gun.
Deputies fired, striking Williams, but also striking Lane, who was outside watching a potential escape door.
Lane, a Mulberry High School graduate who was only 21 years old, died at the hospital. He was the father of three children, including one he never had the chance to meet.
You can read our original report on his death here: Death of Deputy Blane Lane
Williams was charged with second-degree murder of a law enforcement officer under Florida law, which holds suspects responsible when their actions cause a death during the commission of certain crimes.
Last week, a jury found Williams guilty of murder, resisting an officer without violence, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of methamphetamine.
On Friday, a judge sentenced Williams to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
