The Brief
- Cheryl Williams is standing trial for murder nearly three years after Polk County Deputy Blane Lane was shot and killed in the line of duty.
- Prosecutors say Lane was killed by “friendly fire” after Williams pulled what turned out to be a BB gun on Oct. 4, 2022.
- Williams faces life in prison if convicted.
BARTOW, Fla. – Nearly three years after Polk County Deputy Blane Lane was shot and killed in the line of duty, the woman facing murder charges in the case is standing trial.
Death of Deputy Blane Lane
The backstory:
On Oct. 4, 2022, Sheriff Grady Judd said Lane was helping serve a felony warrant in Polk City when the suspect, Cheryl Williams, pulled a gun that was later determined to be a “very realistic-looking” BB gun.
Deputies fired, hitting Williams, but also hitting Lane, who was outside watching a potential escape door.
Lane, a Mulberry High School graduate who was just 21 years old, died at the hospital. He had three children, including one he never got to meet.
Polk Sheriff Grady Judd swears in Deputy Blane Lane on Jan. 18, 2022. (Photo: Polk County Sheriff’s Office)…