Michael Rowland is accused of killing Diane German, a longtime Ocala restaurant owner, before reporting her body in a backyard pool.

OCALA, Fla. — A Jacksonville man was arrested after Ocala police said he strangled his 72-year-old girlfriend, moved her body into her swimming pool and tried to make her death look like a drowning.

Michael Rowland, 50, faces charges of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence in the death of Diane German, whose body was found Dec. 28 at her home on Northeast Sixth Street. Police said the case turned from a death investigation into a homicide after detectives reviewed surveillance footage, phone records, physical evidence and a medical examiner’s findings.

The case began as a 911 call before sunrise. Police said Rowland reported finding German unresponsive in the pool at about 7 a.m. Officers arrived at the Ocala home and found German dead. Rowland told investigators he had discovered her floating in the water and jumped in to pull her out. Police later said water was found through parts of the home, a detail that first appeared to fit his account. But investigators also said the scene raised questions that could not be settled by the first version of events. The Ocala Police Department said in a statement that detectives identified inconsistencies in Rowland’s statements as the investigation moved forward.

One of the key pieces of evidence was German’s phone. Investigators said they found an empty, wet phone case in the garage, while the phone itself was found inside Rowland’s van. Rowland allegedly told police the phone had been submerged in the pool, but detectives said the device had no signs of water damage. Police said records from German’s phone showed activity stopped around 9:30 p.m. Dec. 27, the night before her body was found. After that time, she stopped responding to messages. Investigators said surveillance cameras showed Rowland arriving at the home around the same time, placing him there during what police called the critical period before her death.

Police said a later search of Rowland’s phone added another piece to the case. Detectives said they found an internet search for how to reset a video surveillance system. The search became part of the evidence cited after police reviewed surveillance and phone data from the night German disappeared from communication. Investigators also said German’s phone had last pinged near the time Rowland’s work truck was reportedly seen outside her home. Ocala-News reported that the arrest report described the phone as broken and folded and said it was found stashed in the driver’s seat cushion along with a laptop and charging cords. Police have not publicly said whether any video system was successfully reset.

The medical examiner’s findings changed the meaning of the pool scene. Officials said German’s death was ruled a homicide after evidence showed she had been strangled before she entered the water. The ruling meant investigators were no longer treating the case as a possible drowning. Police said they found no evidence that anyone other than German and Rowland was inside the home during the period they were examining. No additional suspects have been named. Detectives also looked at the condition of the home, the wet phone case, the location of German’s phone and the timeline built from cameras and message records.

German was well known in Marion County’s restaurant community. She owned Wolfy’s of Ocala, a diner on East Silver Springs Boulevard, and had a long history in local restaurants and catering. Local reports said she had taken over Wolfy’s with her son, Anthony Viktora, nearly two years before her death. The restaurant was a familiar spot for regulars, employees and people who knew German through years of food service work in the area. She had lost her husband in 2020 and was survived by two adult children and a grandchild. News of her death first stunned coworkers and friends in late December, before police publicly accused Rowland months later.

Investigators also reviewed the relationship between German and Rowland. Friends and family told police the couple had been arguing and were breaking up, according to the arrest report. Police said Rowland denied that account. Ocala-News reported that Rowland told detectives German had been allowed to see other men and that he said he saw messages from another man on her phone. Investigators have not publicly identified a final motive. The charging documents described conflict in the relationship as one part of a wider case built on the timeline, digital evidence, phone location records, surveillance footage and the medical examiner’s ruling.

Rowland was arrested April 6 in Jacksonville and is expected to face prosecution in Marion County. Police said he will be returned to Marion County on the second-degree murder and evidence-tampering charges. Court records cited in reports did not list his next court date at the time of the arrest coverage. Second-degree murder in Florida is a homicide charge that does not require prosecutors to prove premeditation, while tampering with evidence centers on allegations that a person altered, destroyed, concealed or removed evidence tied to an investigation. Authorities have not said whether more charges will be filed.

The Ocala Police Department credited Detective Grosso and other staff members with months of work on the case. “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 after police announced the arrest and said the investigation had shown Rowland was at German’s home the night before she was found. The department said it would provide updates as the case moves through the criminal process.

The case now rests with investigators and prosecutors as Rowland is returned to Marion County. As of April 30, 2026, police have named no other suspects, and the next public step is expected to come through court filings or a scheduled hearing.

Author note: Last updated April 30, 2026.