Husband refuses to sign divorce papers, then he fatally shoots wife, Florida cops say

A daughter found her mom shot to death on the toilet by her husband she had recently filed to divorce, Florida authorities said.

Lamar Bryant, 41, is now facing a first-degree murder charge in the death of his wife, Takeshia, according to Orange County court records. Family asked news outlets to use 42-year-old Takeshia’s maiden name, Eads.

Eads’ adult daughter told deputies that the mom of four filed to divorce Bryant, but Bryant refused to sign the papers, according to an affidavit from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and reporting from WESH.

Bryant is accused of involving their teen daughter in the plot to kill Eads. On the afternoon of March 25, he picked their daughter up from school, and the girl told deputies that her father was already slurring his words, according to the report.

Then they stopped by a liquor store, and Bryant proceeded to drink while driving to a storage unit, where he went inside and came back with two guns, the daughter told deputies.

When they got to their Orlando home, Eads was sitting on the porch with her adult daughter, family members told deputies. Eads spoke with her husband, then went inside to use the bathroom.

Bryant became nervous because he saw a helicopter flying around, so he asked his teen daughter to put the two guns in her purse and stash them behind the home, deputies said.

She did as she was told, and once the helicopter flew away, she saw him go around the back to get the bag, according to investigators. He went inside the house after his wife, and that’s when family members heard a series of gunshots, deputies said.

Eads’ older daughter told investigators Bryant exited the home after the shots, but when she asked him what was going on, he shrugged and said “nothing,” according to the affidavit.

She went inside to find her mother in the bathroom, slumped over on the toilet with gunshot wounds, deputies said.

Eads’ younger daughter and another family member ran out of the house when they heard the shots, and they saw Bryant get in his car and drive away, according to investigators.

Eads had been shot in the head and died at a hospital, deputies said. Investigators who visited the home reported finding five bullet casings on the floor near the bathroom and bullet holes in the wall.

Eads was described as a mother and grandmother with “infectious love,” as well as a longtime member of United Hands Ministry, where she was known for her praise dancing.

“She was a jewel. It’s almost an understatement,” church leader John Eason told WKMG. “She led the way in outreach. She’s absolutely a model and example for everyone else to follow.”

Her adult daughter, who found her in the bathroom, said her mother was a “fighter” and the “backbone” of their family.

“She touched a lot of people, and she touched a lot of lives, so she was a good woman,” the daughter told WESH.

This story was originally published March 28, 2025 at 10:19 AM with the headline "Husband refuses to sign divorce papers, then he fatally shoots wife, Florida cops say."