A Florida man has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder after allegedly fatally shooting his wife shortly after she filed for divorce. Lamar Bryant, 41, is accused of killing 42-year-old Takeshia Eads, who had recently ended their 10-year marriage. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office confirmed his arrest following the tragic incident in Orlo Vista, a community just west of Orlando.
According to People, deputies responded to a 911 call around 3:45 p.m. on March 25. The caller, believed to be Eads’ mother, told the dispatcher, “My son-in-law shot my daughter,” according to an arrest affidavit. Authorities arrived to find Eads with a gunshot wound to the head. She was rushed to the hospital, where she later died from her injuries.
Investigators say Eads had recently filed for divorce, but Bryant reportedly refused to sign the papers. On the day of the shooting, Bryant picked up one of their daughters from school, stopping at a liquor store and then a storage unit, where the child said he retrieved firearms. Upon returning home, Eads was seen outside. The couple entered the house together, and gunshots rang out moments later.
Eads’ oldest daughter, Cordeja Paige, described her mother as a compassionate woman who loved her church and family. A mother of four and grandmother of five, Eads was remembered as someone who “would give the shirt off her back to anybody.” Speaking to WFTV and WESH, Paige urged others experiencing domestic abuse to leave before it’s too late, emphasizing, “It’s not going to get better… Think about your kids first.”
Bryant is currently being held without bond following his first court appearance. Eads’ family has requested that her maiden name be used in all reports, honoring her memory and legacy apart from her estranged husband.