Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murdering Navy Federal Employee
Navy Federal assistant branch manager Barbara Tommey was shot and killed by her estranged husband in 2020.
Orange County Judge Michael S. Kraynick sentenced a Florida man to life in prison last week after a jury found him guilty of murdering his estranged wife with a firearm four years ago in front of a Navy Federal Credit Union branch in Orlando, where she worked as an assistant branch manager.
During the three-day trial, nearly a dozen people testified for the state’s prosecutor, including the victim’s brother, Navy Federal employees and members who witnessed Sylvester Ofori, 39, shoot Barbara Tommey multiple times during the morning of Sept. 8, 2020.
Tommey exited the branch on Gardens Park Boulevard to move her car when Ofori approached her, according to the state attorney’s office for Florida’s Orange and Osceola counties.
Navy Federal provided Orlando Police detectives with surveillance video that showed Tommey running away from Ofori.
The video also showed Tommey frantically knocking on the credit union door when Ofori pistol-whipped and shot her. He shot her three more times after she fell to the ground, the state’s attorney’s office said in a prepared statement.
Orlando Police Department detectives said they spoke with Tommey’s family members and co-workers, who verified previous domestic violence incidents between the couple and their recent separation. They also said Ofori threatened to kill Tommey two days before the shooting.
After Navy Federal employees and Tommey’s family members positively identified Ofori as the shooter on the surveillance video, detectives obtained an arrest warrant and arrested him at his apartment without incident.
In addition to his life sentence, Judge Kraynick also sentenced Ofori to a minimum mandatory of 25 years to life sentence for using a firearm.
Court filings showed Ofori has filed an appeal.