SEBRING, Fla. — A Florida woman who recruited her boyfriend to rob and kill her husband’s great-grandfather to fund a trip was found guilty of second-degree murder, prosecutors said.
According to Highland County online court records, Britney Lee Andrus, 29, of Sebring, was also convicted on July 25 of burglary with assault or battery, grand theft of a motor vehicle and burglary of a conveyance.
The convictions were in connection with the Oct. 27, 2020, death of 88-year-old James Little, the Highland County Sheriff’s Office said.
Andrus’ boyfriend at the time, Tyler Ethan Best, 25, pleaded guilty to charges including second-degree murder, burglary with battery, grand theft of a motor vehicle and possessing a firearm as a felon, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said.
Best, who agreed to testify against his co-defendant in exchange for possible sentencing considerations, testified that Andrus broached the idea of killing Little.
Andrus’ attorney has not responded to a request for comment. Best’s attorney declined to comment.
According to the sheriff’s office, Andrus’ husband was in jail when she moved into his great-grandfather’s residence and lived in a mother-in-law suite, the Miami Herald reported.
According to deputies, Andrus and Best were planning a trip to Michigan, where Andrus’ grandmother lived.
Deputies said the pair devised a scheme to steal and sell items from the main house where Little lived.
On Oct. 22, 2020, Andrus had a neighbor call 911 to report she had found Little beaten in his home. Investigators said it appeared that Little was sleeping when an apparent intruder woke him up and struck him 12 times with a blunt object.
Little was still alive when first responders arrived at the residence but died five days later in an area hospital.
The sheriff’s office said that Little’s sons went to his home with investigators and found items in the mother-in-law apartment, including a safe that had been hidden in an air conditioning vent but belonged in the main house.
Best testified that Andrus had driven up “in Mr. Little’s car” and handed him $1,500 in cash and the keys to the victim’s vehicle.
Glenn Little, the victim’s son, testified on July 23 that his father regularly carried between $1,000 and $1,500 in his wallet.
Best was arrested at a family member’s home and found with a backpack containing James Little’s belongings, including jewelry and a wallet containing credit and debit cards belonging to the victim and his late wife, deputies said.
“Both Andrus and Best were suspects from the beginning of the investigation, which included numerous interviews, as well as collection and analysis of blood and other biological evidence,” the sheriff’s office wrote in October 2021. “The analysis of biological evidence can take several months. Once detectives had all the evidence in hand, the arrest warrants were obtained.”
Court records show that Andrus and her husband finalized their divorce in 2024, the Herald reported.
Andrus will be sentenced on Sept. 15, the sheriff’s office said. She faces life in prison.
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