ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A woman upset that her Burger King order took too long, leading to a restaurant employee being fatally shot, now faces charges along with her longtime boyfriend, who stands accused of pulling the trigger, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Ashley Mason was arrested on charges of principal to first-degree murder and aggravated assault with a firearm in connection with the death of 22-year-old Desmond Armond Joshua.
A judge on Thursday ruled Mason to be held on no bond on the murder charge. She also cannot have contact with the victim’s family or witnesses, except her daughter.
Deputies said the shooting happened around 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Burger King on the 7000 block of E. Colonial Drive. Deputies said they found Joshua suffering from a gunshot wound in the parking lot. He was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
As part of the investigation, video was recovered that showed Joshua in a physical altercation with a man who had him in a headlock, according to the affidavit.
A witness said the restaurant was busy that night and the drive-thru was backed up, which caused customers to have to wait longer than usual.
Mason’s 13-year-old daughter told officers she was in the front seat of her mom’s car and said Joshua was disrespectful to her mother, according to court documents.
She told officers she thought Joshua was talking about them behind the drive-thru window, according to court documents.
The teen told investigators she threw a small drink at the drive-thru window, according to court documents.
The customer, later identified as Mason, 31, was mad about the delay so she got out of her vehicle and began yelling that she was going to have “her man” come to the restaurant, so an employee refunded her $40 and asked her to leave, records show.
Mason waited in the parking lot in her black sedan for a few minutes, then drove away and returned with a white truck with a man identified as 37-year-old Kelvis Rodriguez-Tormes, who was demanding that Joshua fight him, deputies said.
Deputies said after the witness pulled Rodriguez-Tormes off of Joshua, Rodriguez-Tormes then went to his truck and got the gun, telling Joshua, “You got two seconds before I shoot you.”
Court documents show various witness testimony accuses Mason of pointing a gun in the direction of the fight between the victim and her boyfriend. She is also accused of giving him the gun used in the shooting.
Shortly thereafter, Rodriguez-Tormes shot Joshua before driving away in the white truck while the black sedan also fled, deputies, said.
Joshua was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died.
Rodriguez-Tormes was arrested and charged with first-degree murder with a firearm, destruction of evidence and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Mason was arrested Wednesday on charges of principal to first-degree murder and aggravated assault with a firearm.
Mason’s lawyer clarified in court Thursday that Rodriguez-Tormes is his client’s longtime boyfriend, not her husband.
It was also learned that Rodriguez-Tormes worked for SGL Constructors, best known for its involvement in the I-4 Ultimate project.
SGL released a statement about the fatal shooting:
“Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Desmond Armond Joshua Jr. We are extremely saddened to hear of this senseless tragedy. On Saturday evening, SGL Constructors was notified that a work truck from its fleet was reportedly involved in a fatal shooting that took place at a Burger King on 7643 East Colonial Drive. We later learned that an SGL employee assigned to this truck, who was not on duty on Saturday evening, was arrested in connection to the shooting. The employee in question has since been terminated. We continue to cooperate with local authorities on this active investigation.”