The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office made an arrest on Wednesday involving an active duty Marine stationed at Naval Air Station Pensacola who is the main suspect in a homicide case. The ECSO reported that 20-year-old Willie Ellington, a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, was taken into custody on charges of first-degree premeditated murder and possession of child pornography following the discovery of Tshey Bennett’s body in a pond within an abandoned neighborhood, with assistance from officers of the Mobile, Alabama Police Department.
The circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Tshey Bennett prompted investigators to treat the case as a potential homicide due to the suspicious nature of the events. A statement released by the ECSO indicated, “Throughout the investigation, it was determined that Tshey Bennett was working as an escort and had met the suspect at Sweet Dreams Inn at the time of her disappearance.” The ECSO was first informed of Bennett’s absence on Saturday.
Willie Ellington holds the rank of private first class in the U.S. Marine Corps, as confirmed by Capt. Jacoby Getty of the branch’s Training and Education Command. The Marine Corps disclosed to the News Journal that Ellington was assigned to Marine Aviation Training Support Group-23 (MATSg-23) at NAS Pensacola. MATSG-23 specializes in providing training to Marines in aviation, cyber, explosive ordinance disposal (EOD), and combatant dive communities, according to Marine Corps sources.
Capt. Getty further stated, “Training command is aware of the ongoing investigation and is committed to working closely with local authorities to support their efforts.”
Despite Bennett’s body being located in Alabama, the ECSO’s investigation is focused on Escambia County’s jurisdiction under the belief that Ellington was murdered in that area before her body was disposed of across state lines. The Mobile Police Department, while aiding the ECSO in light of the discovery being made in Alabama, clarified that the ECSO takes the lead in the investigation.
