Georgia authorities have arrested Jon Worrell, 58, for the 2006 murder of his wife, Doris Worrell, 39, nearly two decades after the killing at his sports park in Douglas, Georgia.
Initially considered a possible robbery or retaliation incident, the case took a turn when investigators uncovered marital problems and Jon’s affair with the then-18-year-old family nanny. Fearing a custody battle over their three young children, Jon allegedly plotted his wife’s murder,
Jon recruited two accomplices, Glidden Rodriguez (now deceased) and Brandon Cage, who were once arrested but later released due to lack of evidence. After Doris’s death, Jon fled first to Florida, then Costa Rica, where the nanny joined him following her deportation from the U.S.
The couple raised Jon and Doris’s children together until their recent breakup. The spurned nanny then cooperated with law enforcement, providing key testimony that led to Jon’s arrest in Missouri.
Coffee County Sheriff Fred Cole emphasized the relentless pursuit of justice despite the years passed, while GBI Special Agent Jason Seacrist encouraged hope for families of cold case victims and warned offenders that law enforcement never forgets.
Doris’s sister, LeAnn Tuggle, remembered her as “the sweetest person” and questioned Jon’s secrecy when he moved the family abroad.
Jon Worrell waived extradition and is now held without bond at Coffee County Jail.
