Toby Holt found guilty of manslaughter, acquitted of kidnapping

It took a Polk County jury a little more than four hours to convict Stobert "Toby" Holt of manslaughter Tuesday.

He was also found guilty of extortion and making written threats to kill or do bodily harm to someone, but he was acquitted of kidnapping in a verdict rendered at 10:20 a.m.

Holt, 44, was accused of kidnapping his boss' son, Robert Wiles, who has been missing since 2008. He had been charged with first-degree murder, but the jury found him guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter.

Still, Holt faces up to 45 years in prison.

Holt and Wiles were employees in the Wiles' family's aviation maintenance business at Lakeland Linder Regional airport when Wiles disappeared in April 2008.

Wiles' father received a ransom note requesting $750,000 for his son's safe return, and he paid it. But Robert Wiles was never heard from again.

Jurors heard almost five hours of closing arguments Monday and received the case just before 4 p.m. They deliberated about two hours before calling it a night and then returned Tuesday morning.

After the guilty verdict was read, Wiles family members said all they want now is to know where Holt left Wiles' body.

"Hopefully it will happen," Thomas Wiles said of finding his son's body. "I don't think he (Holt) will do that because I don't think he cares."

"I haven’t lost one night’s sleep thinking about Toby but I’ve lost many of nights thinking about my son," said Pamela Wiles.