Former Anne Arundel County School Principal Murdered In Florida
BALTIMORE (WJZ)—A murder in Florida has ties to Anne Arundel County.
Rochelle Ritchie has the disturbing details on the murder of a former principal and who's responsible.
The body was found in Davie, Fla. last Thursday just west of Fort Lauderdale. Money appears to be the motive.
In the shallow waters of a Davie, Fla. canal, the body of 76-year-old William Norman, a former Anne Arundel County principal, was pulled out last Thursday.
Two people are charged with his murder: David Weintraub and Andarly Desir, both 19.
"I hope they pay dearly for taking away a really nice person," said Rosemary Bender.
Bender became a close friend of Norman's after selling him a home near Tampa 12 years ago.
William Norman was the first principal at Chesapeake High School in the early 1970s. He worked for Anne Arundel County until 1989.
In the school auditorium a portrait of Norman hangs and yearbook photos show old memories.
"He had a big heart and he gave a lot of himself. And sometimes people took advantage of that," Bender said.
Davie Police found his body with a plastic bag taped over his head.
The suspects confessed to gagging him, tying him up and beating him before dumping him in the water.
Appraisal records show Norman owned a house in Tamarac, Fla. home he rented to the suspects.
"It was vacant but then he said I let these friends go in, and they weren't paying," Bender said.
Those friends are now murder suspects, charged with premeditated murder.
According to a Florida newspaper, the duo stole Norman's credit cards and tried to inquire about their victim's savings account.
That's when police were notified by the bank.
Bender says she is glad the suspects are in jail with no bond and can only hope for the ultimate punishment.
"No one's life should end like that," she said.
Norman was a divorced father of two. WJZ reached out to those who knew him in Anne Arundel County. No one wanted to talk.
The official cause of Norman's death is still pending.
