3 accused of killing Polk girl, 17
Two of the men also are charged with burning a car containing her body. A drug link is suspected.
Amy L. Edwards | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted January 11, 2007
Three men were charged Wednesday in the death of a Polk County high-school student who detectives say was beaten, stabbed and then set on fire in the trunk of her car in a citrus grove last week.
Polk County sheriff's officials said Wednesday that although an autopsy is not complete, they are confident the remains found in a charred car Friday near Babson Park are those of 17-year-old Angelia "Angel" Headrick.
Three Polk County men told detectives they were involved in Angelia's death, which occurred sometime late Jan. 4 or early Jan. 5, said Sheriff's Office Chief W.J. Martin.
Sheriff's officials said each of those men faces charges of first-degree murder and robbery: Eric Rodriguez, 20, of Haines City; Gary Michael Glisson, 29, of Lake Wales; and Jarvis J. Mosley, 23, of Lake Wales.
Glisson and Mosley also face charges of arson.
"They're cowardly thugs," Martin said.
Martin said Angelia, who sold and used marijuana and cocaine, knew the men through drug use. Angelia and Rodriguez had prior run-ins involving her boyfriend, who was in law-enforcement custody at the time of the homicide.
Detectives said Rodriguez, Glisson and Mosley knew Angelia's boyfriend was in custody and that she was vulnerable.
"They planned from the very start to kill her," Martin said.
The men asked Angelia to meet them at Glisson's home on North Scenic Highway, sheriff's officials said. After Angelia arrived, they asked her to drive them to another location.
As Angelia was driving on Masterpiece Road in Lake Wales, the men asked her to pull over. That's when they beat and stabbed her, Martin said.
The three men returned to Glisson's home, Angelia's body still inside the car.
The men took drugs and about $400 Headrick had with her at the time, sheriff's officials said.
Authorities say that later that day, after Rodriguez left the scene, Glisson drove Angelia's car -- followed by Mosley in a second vehicle -- to an orange grove on Drawdy Road, where they set the car on fire.
A grove worker found the charred vehicle Friday, the day after Angelia's grandmother, Lois Headrick, reported her missing.
Headrick on Wednesday described her granddaughter as a "beautiful, loving child" who was a cheerleader and accomplished dancer.
"Her future was bright and promising . . .that came to a halt way too soon," she said.
Although Angelia had not danced in recent years, instructor Marcia Legg said she had "so much talent."
"She was very smart and an exceptional dancer," said Legg, who owns Studio C School of Dance and Production. "She could pick up any dance step you gave her."
Lois Headrick said she is encouraging parents to talk to their children about drugs and alcohol and become involved in their children's lives.
Legg said she hopes Angelia's death will be a lesson for other teens.
"I'm hoping that the young people will learn and not give in to peer pressure," she said. "There's no reason for them to ever have to experiment with drugs. Maybe they can see that this can happen to somebody like that.''
Amy L. Edwards can be reached at
aledwards@orlandosentinel.com or 863-422-3395.
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