CASE MAP
Interactive map showing key locations in the Thomas Rigterink investigation
Locations
Crime Scene
Location where Jeremy Jarvis and Allison Sousa were stabbed on September 24, 2003. Winter Haven, Polk County, Florida.
Arrest Location
Thomas Rigterink was arrested on October 15, 2003, approximately 3 weeks after the murders.
Polk County Courthouse
Location of both trials (2005 and retrial). Where Rigterink was convicted and sentenced to death twice.
Florida Prison System
Current location of Thomas Rigterink's incarceration following the Hurst ruling overturn of his death sentence.
INVESTIGATION CONTEXT
Crime Scene
On September 24, 2003, the brutal stabbing occurred in Winter Haven, Polk County. Jeremy Jarvis was stabbed 22 times and Allison Sousa was stabbed 6 times. Both victims died from their injuries.
Arrest
Thomas Rigterink was arrested on October 15, 2003, approximately three weeks after the murders. He initially confessed to detectives in a videotaped statement.
Trials & Convictions
Rigterink was tried at Polk County Courthouse twice. First conviction in 2005 (overturned 2009), retried and convicted again, sentenced to death by 7-5 jury vote both times.
Current Status
Following the Hurst ruling (April 6, 2017), Rigterink's death sentence was overturned. He remains incarcerated in Florida's prison system pending resentencing.
WINTER HAVEN, POLK COUNTY
Winter Haven is a city in Polk County, Florida, located in the central part of the state. The Thomas Rigterink case became one of the most significant criminal cases in Polk County history, drawing national attention due to the brutal nature of the crimes and the subsequent landmark Hurst v. Florida ruling.
The case highlighted important issues in Florida's death penalty system, particularly regarding jury unanimity requirements in capital sentencing. Rigterink became one of 147 Florida prisoners who obtained relief under the Hurst ruling, which fundamentally changed how death sentences are imposed in the state.
The investigation, trials, and appeals have spanned over two decades, making this one of Florida's longest-running capital cases and a pivotal example of constitutional protections in death penalty litigation.