THONOTOSASSA, Fla. — A grand jury in Hillsborough County indicted a local man for first-degree murder after officials say he stabbed his ex-girlfriend to death in December, stole her car and left the state.
The Hillsborough State Attorney’s Office said on Wednesday that Trent Diggs, 29, was returned to Florida on Tuesday night after a nationwide search. He is charged with killing his 30-year-old former girlfriend in her Thonotosassa home in early December.
The sheriff's office said on December 12 that deputies were called to the home for a welfare check. According to the state attorney's office, a witness called after they couldn't reach the victim by phone and saw blood in her home through a window.
Deputies forced their way inside and found the victim's body.
The state attorney's office said Diggs went to the victim's home and "viciously stabbed her to death" on December 8 or 9.
Detectives tracked the victim's stolen car to the southwestern U.S.
Just hours before deputies were called to the victim's home on December 11, the state attorney's office said Diggs was stopped in Decatur, Texas while driving the stolen car for a routine traffic stop.
The state attorney's office said Diggs was allowed to leave after that stop because deputies hadn't yet been called to the victim's home and the car hadn't yet been reported stolen.
Authorities were later able to zero in on Diggs location on a road in New Mexico. The New Mexico State Police, working with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's office, moved in and arrested Diggs.
The state attorney's office said Diggs was wearing shows that had the victim's blood on them and he also had her stolen purse in the stolen car.
“This man terrorized and murdered his victim, then tried to slip away. Thanks to great collaboration across law enforcement, we can now bring him to justice and hold him accountable for the life he took and the void he has created in the lives of the victim’s family and friends,” Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren said.
Diggs will stand trial for first-degree murder, armed burglary of a dwelling, grand theft of a motor vehicle and violation of a domestic violence injunction.
An indictment is a formal accusation against a person suspected of a crime.
