PICTURED: 'Irate' wife, 31, who 'handed her husband the gun he used to fatally shoot Burger King employee because their order took too long'
Authorities in Florida have arrested a woman who they say complained to her husband about a delay in her $40 fast-food order, leading to the killing of a Burger King employee.
Ashley Mason, 31, from Orlando, was booked into the Orange County Jail on Wednesday on felony counts of principal to first-degree murder and aggravated assault with a firearm.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by DailyMail.com, an 'irate' Mason handed her husband, Kelvis Rodriguez Tormes, 37, the gun that he used to fatally shoot 27-year-old Desmond Armond Joshua Jr during a physical altercation on Saturday evening.
The incident began unfolding at around 7.30pm at a Burger King on the 7000 block of E. Colonial Drive.
Joshua, who had just started working at the eatery, had gotten into a confrontation with a woman, later identified as Mason, who was angry over the length of time it took for her drive-through food order to be completed.
Mason's 13-year-old daughter, who was with her in the car and witnessed the argument, later told deputies that Joshua was 'disrespectful' to them, and that she thought he was 'talking mad trash' about them behind the drive-through window.
Kelvis Rodriguez Tormes, 37, left, allegedly shot and killed Burger King employee Desmond Armond Joshua Jr, 22, right, after his wife complained to him about a delay in her $40 order
While waiting for her order, Mason grew increasingly irate, got out of her car and confronted the Burger King staff, threatening to bring her 'man' to the restaurant.
The manager of the fast-food eatery refunded Mason $40 and told her to leave, which she did.
Mason said she complained to her husband on the phone that workers at the eatery were 'disrespectful and unprofessional,' and he said he was coming over to 'talk to them.'
Several minutes later, Rodriguez Tormes arrived in his work truck, where he kept a handgun, and challenged Joshua to a fight, according to the affidavit.
Surveillance video captured Joshua removing all of the items from his pockets, including his phone and headphones, and following Rodriguez Tormes into the parking lot.
Cellphone video recorded by a witness, which has been reviewed by investigators but not released to the public, reportedly showed Rodriguez Tormes placing Joshua in a headlock and attempting to choke him out during the scuffle.
According to the affidavit, the shift manager pulled Rodriguez Tormes off of Joshua and broke up the fight.
The suspect then allegedly told his wife, 'give me the fire,' apparently referring to his gun, which she had removed from his truck and hid inside her sedan.
Rodriguez Tormes then got back in his truck and closed the door.
Under questioning, the 37-year-old said he saw Joshua jump over his wife's car and advance toward his truck. According to the affidavit, Rodriguez Tormes told the fast-food worker to back away, warning him: 'You got two seconds before I shoot you.'
The unidentified woman later came back with Rodriguez Tormes, authorities said. Rodriguez Tormes demanded that Joshua (pictured) fight him before putting the employee in a chokehold and later shooting him, authorities said
'He said Desmond Joshua Jr moved toward him and he fired one shot,' according to the court document.
The 27-year-old man was struck in the chest and pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Mason said she took off and headed home after seeing Joshua collapse to the ground.
Her husband arrived a short time later and told her, 'I messed up,' the affidavit stated.
Rodriguez Tormes has been charged with first-degree murder with a firearm, destruction of evidence and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The incident occurred at this Burger King location
Mason has a history of arrests involving domestic violence charges as recent as May 2020 (left). The mugshot on the right was taken in 2015
Instead of calling 911 to report the incident, the couple called Mason's mother and asked her to come over.
The court document stated that Rodriguez Tormes then erased his phone and left in his mother-in-law's car.
When he returned home later, he was met by deputies and told them he had 'destroyed' the gun used in the shooting.
Rodriguez Tormes has been charged with first-degree murder with a firearm, destruction of evidence and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Records indicate that Mason also has a history of arrests on charges of domestic violence.
Girl, you look so bad maybe that’s why you didn’t get your food in a timely manner, they were probably readjusting their eyesight.
ReplyDelete...awefully quiet in here.
ReplyDeleteI guess the cats must have their tongues.
They think he will serve them faster if he's dead?
ReplyDelete