Stephen Underwood Jr , 37 , charged of murder , arson , burglary and grand theft in the death of Dr Thomas Oakland . Retired University of Florida professor was initially believed to have died in a house fire , but autopsy showed he had been bludgeoned . Underwood , an unemployed day laborer , has a long criminal history and was released from prison December 22 after convictions for fraud . Oakland gave Underwood and his disabled wife close to $ 40,000 in cash in the year before he went to prison .
Stephen Underwood Jr , 37 , charged of murder , arson , burglary and grand theft in the death of Dr Thomas Oakland . Retired University of Florida professor was initially believed to have died in a house fire , but autopsy showed he had been bludgeoned . Underwood , an unemployed day laborer , has a long criminal history and was released from prison December 22 after convictions for fraud . Oakland gave Underwood and his disabled wife more than $ 37,000 in cash in the year before he went to prison .