Investigators say Michael Rowland hid evidence after Diane German was strangled and placed in her swimming pool.
OCALA, Fla. — The murder case against Michael Rowland is built not only on how Diane German died, but on what police say happened to evidence after her death.
Rowland, 50, was arrested in Jacksonville on April 6 and charged with second-degree murder and tampering with evidence. Ocala police say German, 72, was strangled before she was found Dec. 28 in the pool at her Northeast Sixth Street home. The case is expected to continue in Marion County after his return from Jacksonville.
The tampering charge focuses attention on the objects police say were moved, hidden or misrepresented during the investigation. German’s phone is central to that part of the case. Detectives said they found a wet, empty phone case in the garage but later located the phone itself in Rowland’s van. Police said Rowland told them the phone had also been submerged in the pool. Investigators said it had no signs of water damage. Ocala-News reported that the arrest report described the phone as broken and folded and said it was stashed in the driver’s seat cushion with a laptop and charging cords. That alleged concealment gave investigators a physical link between German’s belongings and Rowland’s vehicle.
The second-degree murder charge rests on the medical examiner’s ruling and the timeline police assembled after the 911 call. Rowland told authorities he found German floating in the pool the morning of Dec. 28 and pulled her out. Officers responding around 7 a.m. found her dead. What first appeared to be a possible drowning was later ruled a homicide after the medical examiner found evidence of strangulation. Police said German had been strangled before she entered the water. That finding turned the pool from an apparent death scene into what investigators described as part of a staged account.
Detectives did not make an arrest the day German was found. Instead, they reviewed records from the night before. Police said German’s phone activity stopped around 9:30 p.m. Dec. 27, and she stopped responding to messages after that. Around the same time, surveillance footage showed Rowland arriving at the home, according to investigators. Phone records, video and other evidence placed him there the night before her body was found. Police said no other individuals were identified at the residence during the critical timeframe, and no other suspects have been named.
Rowland’s own phone added to the evidence list. Investigators said they found an internet search about how to reset a video surveillance system. Police have not publicly said whether a surveillance system was reset, whether footage was erased or whether the search was tied to a specific device at German’s home. Still, the search was reported as part of the case after investigators reviewed surveillance footage. In evidence-tampering cases, prosecutors often use the handling of objects, digital records and statements to show whether a suspect tried to affect an investigation. Here, police have pointed to both physical items and digital activity.
The arrest report also placed the relationship under review. Friends and family told police German and Rowland had been arguing and were breaking up, according to reports. Police said Rowland denied that. Ocala-News reported that Rowland told detectives German had been allowed to see other men and that he said he saw a communication from another man on her phone. Authorities have not announced a final motive. The criminal complaint described in public reports instead presents the relationship evidence as part of the background around the killing, not as the sole basis for the charges.
German was known beyond the home where police found her. She owned Wolfy’s of Ocala, a diner on East Silver Springs Boulevard, and had a long career in local restaurants and catering. She had taken over Wolfy’s with her son, Anthony Viktora, nearly two years before her death, according to local reports. Employees, friends and family reacted with shock when news of her death first spread in late December. German had lost her husband in 2020 and was survived by two adult children and a grandchild. The arrest brought renewed attention to her role in the city’s restaurant scene.
Procedurally, the case now moves from police investigation to prosecution. Rowland was arrested outside Marion County, in Jacksonville, and reports said he would be extradited or transported back to Marion County to face the charges. Court records cited in early coverage did not list a next court date. Once the case is active in Marion County court, prosecutors will present formal filings, and Rowland will have the chance to respond through counsel. Police have not said whether they expect additional charges, and no public report has identified another suspect.
The Ocala Police Department described the investigation as careful and extended. “We extend our deepest condolences to Diane German’s family, and we thank Detective Grosso and the staff involved for their dedicated, thorough work on this investigation,” the department stated. That statement came with the announcement that Rowland had been arrested after detectives compared his account with medical findings, surveillance footage, phone records and other evidence. It also underscored that the case took more than three months to reach an arrest.
The public record still leaves some facts unresolved. Authorities have not released the full surveillance footage, the full autopsy report, a complete timeline of Rowland’s claimed travel or every detail of the phone forensic review. They also have not said exactly when German died. Those gaps are likely to matter in court, where prosecutors must prove the charges and the defense may challenge the timing, interpretation of records and handling of evidence. For now, the police version identifies Rowland as the only person seen at the home during the key window.
Currently, Rowland is charged with second-degree murder and tampering with evidence in German’s death. The next milestone is expected in Marion County, where the case will move through first appearances, filings and future hearings.
Author note: Last updated April 30, 2026.