Grovetown, GA: Longtime Ocala resident murdered in Georgia

Misty Garner Weegar, 41, had recently moved from Ocala to Grovetown, Ga.


By Jackie Alexander
Staff writer

Published: Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 6:30 a.m.
A longtime Ocala resident was killed last week in Georgia.

Misty Garner Weegar, a Vanguard High School graduate, was found at her home in Grovetown, Ga., with several stab wounds, according to Columbia County sheriff's Capt. Steve Morris.

Grovetown is east of Atlanta. Weegar, 41, had recently moved to the area.

Michael Todd Williams, 41, of Martinez, Ga., was arrested and charged in connection with Weegar's murder.

Morris said Williams and Weegar had been dating for less than a year.

Close friends of Weegar said she had recently called off their engagement and moved out of the house they were buying together. The pair weren't together at the time of the slaying.

Another person contacted law enforcement to report possible domestic violence, Morris said. That person led deputies to Williams.

Weegar had been stabbed seven times in the torso area and beaten, Morris said.

Weegar was a district manager for Avon and had two children. A memorial service was held on Sunday. Another service will be at 6 p.m. on Friday at Unity Baptist Church in Anthony.

Deanne Bailey, 39, of Ocala, met Weegar through her older sister, Caren Davis. She called Davis when she noticed a Facebook posting about Weegar's death.

Davis, 42, couldn't believe it. She had just spoken to Weegar the day she was killed.

"She was an FSU fan and I'm a Gator fan, so I was giving her a hard time about it," she said. "We just tried to catch up."

The two women were fast friends in elementary school and graduated together from Vanguard in 1986, she said.

"She always found the good in everybody," she said. "I've never known her to have anything bad to say about anybody."

Davis was there when Weegar had her first child, Bethanny, and helped raise her, Davis said.

Bailey said she and Weegar traded stories about being young grandmothers. Bailey received a package Friday with Avon products from Weegar.

"For Shane's grammy," the note read. "Hope this takes away some of your fine lines."

Weegar's teenage son lived with her, but was visiting his father when the murder happened, Davis said.

There was no inkling of trouble between Weegar and Williams.

"It's just unbelievable," Davis said. "You hear about things like this happening, but you never expect it happening to someone close to you."

Contact Jackie Alexander at 867-4140 or jackie.alexander@starbanner.com.