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Woman says she provided false alibi

Testimony continues in the trial of a man accused of coaxing his wife to kill his former friend.

By CHRIS TISCH
Published February 18, 2006

LARGO - Sometime Monday, Pinellas prosecutors will summon Ashley Humphrey to the stand to testify that her husband coaxed her into killing for him.

Her testimony is a key piece of evidence in the case against Timothy Humphrey, who could receive a death sentence if convicted of orchestrating the fatal shooting that his wife has admitted to committing.

On Friday, prosecutors prepped a jury for Ashley Humphrey's testimony by presenting evidence that appears to tie Timothy Humphrey to the July 5, 2003, shooting death of Sandee Rozzo. Rozzo was a former friend of Timothy Humphrey's who had accused him of raping and battering her.

Prosecutors spent the morning presenting cell phone tower records that showed about two dozen calls between the Humphreys on the day of the slaying. The calls show Ashley Humphrey waiting outside the bar where Rozzo worked, then following her to her Pinellas Park home.

Rozzo, 37, was ambushed in her garage and shot eight times. Later in the day, prosecutors summoned to the stand a woman who trained with Timothy Humphrey, a bodybuilder at a Brandon gym. Tobe White testified that he coaxed her into providing him and his wife a false alibi.

White said she later recanted the story in a meeting with investigators. Police then fixed her with a wire and sent her to talk with the Humphreys outside a massage therapy business in Brandon.

Both Humphreys can be heard coaching White on how to lie to investigators.

Prosecutors say Timothy Humphrey, who was 16 years older than his 20-year-old bride when they married the day before Rozzo's slaying, manipulated her into killing for him. He faced a 10-year prison sentence for Rozzo's allegations of rape and battery, and he told friends he would do anything to avoid prison.

[Last modified February 18, 2006, 02:00:25]