Tina Strader and her husband, Gerald, sparked a sweeping romance at a processing plant and sealed their love with a swift marriage just four months post their first rendezvous. At 46, Tina was not only a mother to four children from a past relationship but also a doting grandmother to two. Her passion for dancing and baking earned her the endearing nickname, "Tiny Tina."

The couple, embracing change, relocated to sunny Florida in 2019. Tina secured a manager position in housekeeping at the Rodeway Inn located in Venice, an hour's drive from quaint Fort Myers. Their arrangement allowed them to reside cozily in a suite at the motel, where Tina's charm won over guests, who often revisited thanks to her exceptional care.

Life took a harsh turn when Gerald, aged 53, was besieged by a ruthless autoimmune condition, robbing him of his legs' function, reports the Mirror. Gerald's health battles led to an extended hospital stay and life in a wheelchair. Consequently, Tina shouldered the role of chief breadwinner and carer.

Mornings for Tina involved aiding her husband out of bed, organising his medications and meals, before attending to her work duties at the inn. On 20 April 2021, Tina went to work as per her usual routine. She and Gerald had established a basic safety protocol.

Whenever Tina entered a room for cleaning, she would text Gerald to inform him when she entered the room and when she'd moved onto the next. This allowed Gerald to keep an eye on his wife, who often worked alone. At 8.49am, Tina messaged to say that she had entered room 205. As time ticked by, Gerald grew worried when Tina didn't text to say she had started on a different room.

Typically, if the room required additional work, she would inform Gerald or even request assistance. Gerald texted his wife two more times, but she didn't respond. After making some enquiries with other staff members, he made his way to room 205, where the door was closed. It would usually be open if she was still cleaning so he assumed Tina had moved on.

However, when he couldn't locate her in other rooms, Gerald returned to room 205 around 10.10am and opened the door. He was horrified to discover blood on the mattress, and then he found Tina, who had been savagely attacked.

She had been stuffed into a wardrobe with a washcloth forced down her throat. She had been beaten and wasn't breathing. There were defensive wounds where Tina had courageously tried to fight back. In a desperate bid to save his wife, Gerald cried out for help and removed the cloth from Tina's mouth. A 911 operator guided him through CPR until the paramedics arrived.

Despite being rushed to the hospital, Tina tragically passed away a few hours later. Simultaneously, several other 911 calls reported a semi-naked man acting aggressively two miles away from the crime scene. It took five officers to restrain and arrest him - it was Stephen Havrilka.

Havrilka had been residing in room 209 at the Rodeway Inn for almost a week. His shocking criminal record revealed 36 arrests and four prison sentences for offences including domestic violence, burglary, drug-related crimes and trespassing. The 30 year old also had connections to neo-Nazi groups.

CCTV footage showed that a minute after Tina entered room 205, a man with distinctive tattoos followed her in - it was Havrilka. Just 14 minutes later, he emerged from the room carrying a towel and his shoes. The attack had been swift and brutal.

Investigators concluded that Havrilka might have been observing Tina before the murder and chose that day to strike. There was no apparent motive for the crime; Havrilka was simply an incredibly violent individual, and Tina had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The incident left Gerald utterly devastated and tormented by the memory of finding his wife. Initially declared unfit to stand trial, Havrilka was later judged competent and entered a not guilty plea. His propensity for violence became evident once more in April 2024 at the Sarasota County Jail, where he assaulted another inmate using a sink tap stem as a weapon, displaying a chilling proclivity for brutality. In a heart-wrenching turn of events this February, Havrilka eventually admitted guilt, pleading guilty to second-degree murder.

Details emerged in court about his brutal attempt to strangle Tina first with his hands, then with a lanyard around her neck, and after failing, he strangled her again before pushing a washcloth into her throat. An emotive statement from Tina's children and grandchildren reverberated through the courtroom. "The last thing my mother tasted was cotton. It was a dry towel that was shoved in her mouth, down her throat, and which ultimately led to her death."

The statement poignantly outlined the future moments stolen from them and Tina. "Our mother will never be at our weddings. She will never be able to meet her grandchildren, kiss their heads, tell them stories and fond memories she used to share about being pregnant with us."

It concluded with a powerful message: "My mother spent most of her life fighting systems of poverty. She spent most of her life fighting in general. And in her very last moments, she fought Stephen Matthew Havrilka, for her life." Havrilka was handed a life sentence for his heinous crime. In addition, he received another life sentence for an assault committed in prison – the charge being aggravated battery of a person with a deadly weapon.

Both sentences will run concurrently. Throughout their marriage, Gerald and Tina had endeavoured to protect each other, but tragically, nothing could have shielded Tina from her fate that day. In a mere 14 minutes, her life was savagely snuffed out by one of the very hotel guests she had so diligently served.