User blog:UnderAPineapple/Hurricane Pineapple 5: Tiffany Cole

Greed: It is one of the deadliest sins to exist, and sometimes it can even lead to death. Greed, according to the Oxford English Dictionary means, intense and selfish desire for power, whether it be economic power or just dominance over another human being. A lot of people will do anything for a bit of money or some luxury, for instance, you might work overtime at your job if you want to get a raise to help save up for that amazing vacation to Orlando you’ve been waiting for. Or perhaps sometimes, you might be willing to copy off another person during an exam. But when money and goods are in play, one 24-year old woman might be capable of doing the most horrific thing to two of her closest family friends. Today I will be discussing about Tiffany Cole, and the murders that made her one of the most despised women in the world of the criminal justice system. Let’s brace for Hurricane season.

Hurricane Pineapple: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3DwJMhWdkY

About Tiffany
Not much is known about Tiffany before her criminal activity; but we do know about her father, who was dying of cancer when Tiffany was 23 years old. Tiffany was a familiar face to elderly couple Reggie & Carol Sumner, both 61-year old soon-to-be retirees, who were set to move to Jacksonville, Florida to spend the remainder of their lives together. The Sumners were friends of the dying father of Tiffany, and would often pay Tiffany a visit, as they were neighbors as well as friends. Reggie & Carol Sumner were known across the neighborhood that they lived in in Charleston, South Carolina, as a friendly and happy couple. They were loved by everyone, and they seemed to have everything going their way.

Before the Sumners were going to head off, they were alerted that Tiffany was in need of a car; and since they were financially set, they sold their car to Tiffany and bought a new car for themselves. Carol asked Tiffany for monthly payments, and Tiffany seemed more than happy to comply, whilst Reggie invited Tiffany to stay at their place in case she needed a place to stay. This became a choice that was NOT going to end well.

The Ends Justify the Means...
It is hard to tell if Tiffany was saddened, angry, or didn’t care when her father eventually passed away in 2004, but following the death of Mr. Cole, Tiffany began drinking, smoking, and doing drugs with a group of rebellious 20-30 year-olds. Petty crimes soon became Tiffany’s bread and butter, and she would eventually be involved in drug dealing and cocaine smuggling, to get the money she needed to survive. In 2005, Tiffany met Michael Jackson, a 29-year old fellow “druggie” and friend of a few of the rebellious men she was associating herself with, and fell head over heals for the smooth criminal. Jackson was someone motivated by greed, and seemed to have Tiffany around his finger within a matter of minutes. FBI Criminal Profilers have described Michael Jackson to be a “confirmed sociopath” and a “monster in every sense of the word”, and they couldn’t be further from the truth.

Soon, Michael & Tiffany began dating, and when they were in need of money, Tiffany decided to send her and her boyfriend, to stop by the Sumners’ residence in Jacksonville, Florida. When arriving, Michael was introduced as Tiffany’s boyfriend, and he soon took a fascination to Reggie’s coin collection. Reggie explained to Michael how fortunate he was to have the life that he has had, claiming that with his original house being sold, and a new car, he “had it made”. Soon enough, Michael was given easy damage, and a good means for money. Since the Sumners were weak and frail, how would they be able to put up a fight when it came to the ideas of Michael Jackson? They couldn’t, and he soon hatched a plan, and he wasn’t the only one to be involved.

Plan A
Along with buddies, Alan Wade & Bruce Nixon, Michael & Tiffany realized that they had easy marks when it came to getting the money they needed. As a self-proclaimed, “party girl”, Tiffany initiated the idea of robbing the Sumners and taking the money to buy expensive items, and Michael was planning something bigger. Michael wanted to get the credit card and ATM numbers that the Sumners had, in order to get the money, but Michael Jackson was hiding something behind the mask, and his mind became the magic... minute by minute. Michael knew that to avoid any suspicion, and to avoid any possibility of the Sumners calling the police, he wanted to finish them off... far too soon in life.

Before the plan was to be enacted, Jackson, Wade, and Nixon ended up digging a grave big enough to fit two human bodies in, whilst Tiffany watched as she held a flashlight to see if the hole could be deep enough. Any chances of the Sumners’ surviving, was slim to none. They couldn’t win, and Michael & Tiffany were ready to start something REALLY bad. Of course, Michael & Tiffany are not alone, and they bring their buddies Alan & Bruce, to get the job started.

The Murders
July 8, 2005: People had just finished celebrating Independence Day four days prior, and unbeknownst to the Sumners, Tiffany decided to pay her old friends a visit. But to think she was there to greet the people who were so kind to her, was what a fool believes.

Because the Sumners knew of Michael & Tiffany, they decided that Alan & Bruce would be the ones to initiate the attack. Alan fabricated a story that their car broke down, and that they needed a telephone. Carol was the one to respond, and within seconds, Carol was pinned down to the house floor, and tied up. Reggie was followed soon after, and then Tiffany & Michael made their way to the house. It is believed Bruce & Tiffany ended up ransacking the house, whilst the physically stronger Michael & Alan kept the Sumners bound and tied up. Following this, they took the Sumners into the car they were driving, and sped off to a hole they had previously dug… all the way in Georgia.

A 35 minute drive led them to a gravesite prepared for the elderly couple, and Carol & Reggie were bound together in the trunk of a car, hugging & praying for mercy. Led out of the car, Michael demanded to know what the credit card number and the ATM number was to the Sumner’s bank accounts, and Reggie immediately gave in. Tiffany watched and smiled when Michael took off Reggie’s blindfold, and realized that Tiffany was there waiting. In a police interview, one of them ended up stating that Reggie was in tears when he gave the pin number, whilst Carol was too shocked to respond to anything. When Reggie finally gave Michael the pin number to his account, it seemed like they were able to let the frail couple go…. but they want security, not just financial gain.

In order to avoid the Sumner’s telling the police, Michael & Alan immediately push the Sumners’ into the gravesite, as the two of them, along with Bruce & Tiffany begin filling the gravesite up with dirt. The elderly couple is being buried alive, and one of the murderers is one that they trusted whole-heartedly. They were being stabbed in the back, after all the good that they’ve done for her. The Sumners financially helped Tiffany out when her father was ill, they gave her a car and allowed her to stay in their Jacksonville residence in she needed a place to temporarily reside, but Tiffany wanted more. The Duval County coroners office reported that when the bodies were discovered, they had inhaled an incredibly large amount of dirt. This would mean that the Sumners had been alive even after Tiffany, Michael, Alan, and Bruce left the crime scene.

Married to the Money
Following the murders, Tiffany, Michael, Alan, and Bruce went on a spending spree. They took several pictures holding up the money that was once possessed by the Sumners’ and it became obvious that they didn’t have a care about the repercussions of what they just performed.

Back at home, a concerned family member filed a Missing Persons report on both Carol and Reggie, and Police began tracking their credit cards. It was odd to see that whilst the Sumners’ were missing, their credit card was being used rapidly, a LOT more than usual. Concerned police officers eventually decided to freeze the ATM card that the Sumners’ had, and then the antennae went up for Tiffany.

Tiffany & Michael realized that in order to avoid suspicion in the murders, they had to make a quick move. Michael called the police and pretended that he was Reggie Sumner, the 61-year old man he had buried alive in July 2005. Keep in mind, this is only a few days following the deaths of Carol and Reggie Sumner. His voice did not match the description of Reggie, and Michael Jackson clearly did not take any acting classes to put on his resume of violence against people not of his own age. ;)

Police ask to hear from Carol, and with Tiffany being the only woman (and I use the word ‘woman’ VERY lightly), in the room, she is now forced to be Carol Sumner, the 61-year old woman who gave Tiffany her car and trust. Tiffany’s imitation of Carol is worse than Michael’s (and there is audio proof of the actual phone calls, available online). Not only are the imitations a joke, but Tiffany did not do her homework (neither did Michael), of phoning the police at a different house. The address of the home belongs to none other than 29-year old Michael Jackson. Tiffany & Michael, along with Alan & Bruce… are arrested for the murders of Carol & Reginald Sumner, and are held without bond.

The Aftermath
After the arrests of the four suspects, one of them makes a startling confession. That person, was Bruce Nixon. Nixon confessed to police about everything that occurred that night, stating he did not want to be given the death penalty. Much of the information of this murder on Hurricane Pineapple, was based off of the recording of Bruce’s police interrogation interview, which included the phone lie, along with the intent of premeditated murder. Some prosecutors actually thought this was a simple robbery-gone-wrong, but Bruce’s confession proved otherwise.

In 2007, two years after the murders of Carol & Reginald Sumner, all four were sent to court in Florida. Michael Jackson was found guilty of premeditated murder and kidnapping, and received the death penalty. Rumors have stated that he was executed in 2012, but this is proven to be false. Alan Wade, was also sentenced to die by lethal injection. Both men await their execution, and it is rumored that Michael is out of appeals, meaning he will die on the gurney. Bruce Nixon pleaded guilty to a second-degree murder charge, and was instead sentenced to 45 years in prison. He is expected to be released in 2052, at the age of 67.

At Tiffany’s trial, she tried to put the blame on Michael, saying that he was the one who orchestrated, and performed the heinous crimes, and that Tiffany was just a mere witness. But the jury did not buy her story, and after only 90 minutes of deliberation, 25-year old Tiffany Cole, was found GUILTY of first-degree murder and kidnapping. It was debated whether or not Tiffany would receive death, life in prison without parole, or life in prison WITH parole. It was decided by a vote of 9-3-0 (3 votes for life without parole), that Tiffany would receive the death penalty. She is currently the third-youngest woman on death row in the country.

In a 2015 interview with Diane Sawyer of Good Morning America, Tiffany joined a fellow death row inmate (whose name will not be mentioned due to her being a candidate for a possible HP), about life on death row. Tiffany & the other lady claimed that they were on death row because they were “a minority” and one of them said that they were on death row for being poor. As of February 2017, Tiffany is still trying to appeal along with her lawyers, and her execution date has not been set.

Hurricane Pineapple - My Thoughts
The first time I heard of this case, I was angered beyond what words can explain. The Sumners gave Tiffany EVERYTHING, a car, money, and most importantly trust. And the Sumners were killed because of it?! Tiffany deserves to be on death row in my opinion. I don’t think Tiffany has any remorse over what she did, because she 1) plead not guilty 2) wanted a new trial and 3) never took blame for any of her wrongdoings. Tiffany Cole is a low-life, disgusting, piece of shit and if ANY woman deserves to be executed, it’s her.

I don’t understand how someone (or in this case some people), can be so nice to you, and so friendly and caring about your well-being, and you immediately go and stab them in the back so viciously without a shred of remorse. There are things in my mind that I will not entertain, and one of them is breaking the hearts of those who helped me out. I have not written a case this agitating, since the murder of Christopher Barrios Jr. in my very first episode. And as bad as these cases are, I’m glad I can share them and give my info on them because crime stories are what I enjoy doing (as well as Survivor)

That’s all for this episode of Hurricane Pineapple. Before you leave, I’m going to give you a sneak peak of the next episode set for Friday, October 27.

Sneak Peak for Episode 6

 * One of the most hated men in the world, who couldn't keep his urges to himself.
 * A shocking discovery leads an entire country to storm after him.
 * And a case of vigilante justice that put criminals in danger of public violence.

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If you were the judge, what sentence would you give Tiffany Cole? Death Penalty Life in Prison Without Parole Life in Prison WITH Parole (after 25 years)