Two counts of first-degree murder have been brought against a 30-year-old man in relation to the March killings of Major and Claudette Melvin, an elderly couple who were found dead in their Fort Lauderdale home.
Tuesday morning saw the arrest of Maurice Newson, who had been detained in May on suspicion of stealing the red Ford Fusion owned by the Melvins.
Police said that Newson had spent time inside the home and was the granddaughter of the couple’s boyfriend at the time of the murders. According to the police report, a dark-colored sedan was seen approaching the victims’ house on surveillance footage. The driver exited the vehicle and spent five minutes inside the house. Hours later, the same driver came back to take the Fusion.
According to officials, Newson sold the Fusion to a Wilton Manors tow truck yard. At a tri-rail station, he met the tow truck driver for $200.
As stated in the article, Newson stated that he was selling the 2012 Ford Fusion because he was “tired of putting money into the vehicle” after having recently bought it.
His cellphone was tracked by investigators, who were able to locate him at the tri-rail station and the scene of the murder. The driver of the tow truck recognized him as well.
According to the report, family members informed police that Maurice had been “acting strange” and “questioning a lot” when he visited the house after the murder.
Additionally, according to the police, the granddaughter was “found to be untruthful on the question of being involved in the deaths of her grandparents” during a polygraph exam. The granddaughter is still residing in the house and has not been charged with the crime.
Police reported that they found some exterminator details and restoration project details inside the granddaughter’s room. She stated it was a long-term plan when asked why she had renovation specifics when it wasn’t even her house.
The victims’ daughter, Tonya Mitchell, stated that she had always assumed it was Newsom. However, Dennis Parker, Claudette’s son, stated that it is challenging to believe that the suspect was a member of the family.
“That there gave me a lot of closure but if he did do it, I hope he rot in hell,” Parker stated. “Somebody to come in their house, and they let them take a shower, fed him, my dad left the back door open for 35 years so it had to be somebody that knew my parents and if you really look at it, they were angels.”
Parker claimed that his family’s disunity and grief are added to the pain of losing his parents.
“My mom didn’t raise us like this. The Bible said money is the root of all evil. If I could say something to my parents right now, that your soul can rest now because, trust me, justice will be served. As long as I got breath in my body, justice will be served. If you did have something to do with this, God have mercy on your soul.”
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The relatives of the victims expressed their gratitude for the closure and their anticipation of potential more arrests.
“To come in and kill two elderly people like that, you’re going to burn in hell,” Mitchell stated.
Newsom is still being held without bond at the Broward County Jail.
