Authorities in South Florida have charged and detained a guy for allegedly robbing and then selling the vehicle of an elderly couple who were shot and killed in March.
According to court documents, Maurice Newson, 30, of Davie, was taken into custody in May on a warrant related to allegations of grand theft auto and trading in stolen items. Last month, Newson entered a not guilty plea to the charges and was sent free on bond. Newson had dated one of the victims’ granddaughters.
When Fort Lauderdale police arrived at the deceased couple’s residence on March 22, the 2014 Ford Fusion that Major and Claudette Melvin, who were 89 and 85 years old, respectively, owned was gone.
About two weeks after the double homicide, the car was eventually located with the assistance of the public, as requested by the investigators.
Fort Lauderdale police have been looking into the case for more than three months, according to Newson’s lawyer, Jeremy McLymont, but they haven’t found any evidence to bring murder charges against Newson. Additionally, McLymont stated that neither he nor his client had received any proof on the vehicle theft from the prosecution.
Someone can be seen entering the Melvin residence in the early hours of March 22 and leaving a short while later, according to surveillance footage. A few hours later, the Melvins’ car is seen being driven out of the residence on camera.
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After being driven north, the car was abandoned in a commuter rail parking lot, where it was later picked up by a tow truck.
According to court documents, a witness informed police they saw the vehicle on April 4 in a parking lot belonging to a tow firm. A tow truck driver admitted to police that he had paid $200 for the vehicle from a man who had later been recognized as Newson in a picture lineup.
According to the officer who drafted the warrant for Newson’s car theft charges, there was reason to infer that the suspects in the car theft were also connected to the killings.
The Melvins had shared sixty years of marriage. She had been a hospital housekeeper, and he was a former backhoe operator. 28 grandchildren were born to them.
