Lakeland Police say a 22-year-old was formally indicted on two first-degree murder charges on Thursday. Chief Detective Sam Taylor said the suspect is “absolutely a predator.”
According to a press release, Ladevon Cottingham was charged for the deaths of Takeria Adderly, 22, and Ricky Kimball, 65. According to police, Cottingham was released from prison two weeks before the murders.
The Polk Sheriff’s Office was investigating one murder; the Lakeland Police Department was tracking the other. When the two agencies began comparing notes, DNA evidence, and looking at cell phone records, it all began to make sense: Cottingham, they say, was responsible for both. The 22-year-old is now in the Polk County jail, facing two counts of first-degree murder and a number of other charges. He’s been in custody since August.