Dwight Billings, of Hendry County, has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of Battery, Grand Theft of a Motor Vehicle, Kidnapping, and Robbery. He was sentenced as a Prison Releasee Reoffender and a Habitual Felony Offender.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Kyle Bermingham and Haylie Gutierrez.
The crimes happened in August 2022, in rural Hendry County. The defendant began arguing with the victim, while they were at a cabin they were staying at. The victim told him she was leaving, so the defendant took her car keys. The victim walked out and began walking along a roadway.
The defendant followed in the victim’s car and asked the victim to get in, but she refused. He then got out of the car, grabbed her by her hair, dragged her to the car, and shoved her in. He then tried to grab her phone but could not, so he bit her, then got the phone and broke it. He then battered her and drove back to the cabin. He then threatened to harm her and demanded that she go back inside and refused to let her leave.
The next morning, the victim went outside towards her car and the defendant followed her and threatened to hurt her if she didn’t get in the car. She got inside and he drove erratically for miles, eventually dropping her off outside of a motel in LaBelle and then drove off.
The victim was then able to contact the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office. The deputies and detectives investigating the case were able to locate the defendant and arrest him for the crimes.
Samantha Syoen – State Attorney’s Office Communications Director