What would the evidence have shown in a trial had William J. Cumber III not confessed a year ago to murdering an Anna Maria Island hotel owner?
The confession shelved a mountain of evidence collected by investigators, including crime scene and lab technicians all pointing to his guilt.
In an sworn statement, Cumber abandoned his story of Musil-Buehler leaving their Anna Maria apartment on her own accord and admitted to killing her by striking her twice in the head and choking her to death.
Her autopsy, however, showed even more trauma. Seven ribs were fractured and her sternum was crushed. Her hands were crossed as if previously held/bound by a ligature, which has since likely decomposed, associate medical examiner Daniel L. Schultz wrote in a March 2016 report.
