POLK COUNTY, Fla. – Days after a man was found dead at an apartment complex, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd announced that an arrest has finally been made.
In a release, deputies said the incident first happened on Thursday night at the Fountain Place Apartments in Bartow, where the victim — identified as 56-year-old Jeffrey Blevins — was found dead.
According to detectives, Blevins had a gunshot wound through his head caused by a single bullet, and a 9mm casing was found at the scene.
While speaking with people living at the complex, though, they learned that one of the residents — identified as David Richard Morris, 48 — “had been aggressive toward other tenants,” the release shows.
Furthermore, another resident reportedly claimed that Morris had confronted Blevins prior to the night of his death. As a result, a search warrant was obtained for Morris’ apartment.
“During the search, Morris refused to remain seated and interfered with detectives by yelling at them,” the release reads. “The detectives recovered two street signs that Morris illegally possessed.”
However, detectives said they also found a bloody 9mm handgun in Morris’ bedroom closet, which was confirmed as the murder weapon, as well as a white towel and clothing that had been seemingly stained with blood.
Morris was ultimately arrested and now faces charges the following charges:
- Resisting
- Interfering with a traffic control device (2 counts)
- Second-degree murder
- Discharging a firearm in a residential area
During his first appearance hearing on Sunday, Morris received no bond on the murder charge.
“I can’t say it enough: my detectives are the absolute best at what they do, and they proved it again over the weekend,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. “There was no witness and no video that immediately revealed the murderer. This was old-fashioned detective work of following the evidence and leads.”
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