FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida — A man has been arrested and charged with stealing and later selling an elderly man’s car Couple from South Florida who were fatally shot in March, authorities said.
Maurice Newson, 30, of Davie, was arrested in May on a warrant for charges of grand theft auto and dealing in stolen property, according to court records. Newson, who was in a relationship with one of the victims’ granddaughters, pleaded not guilty to the charges last month and was released on bail.
Major and Claudette Melvin, ages 89 and 85, respectively, owned a 2014 Ford Fusion that was missing when Fort Lauderdale police arrived at the couple’s home on March 22. Detectives asked the public for help locating the vehicle, and it was eventually found about two weeks after the double homicide.
Newson’s attorney, Jeremy McLymont, said Fort Lauderdale police have been investigating the case for more than three months and have found no evidence to charge Newson with murder. McLymont also said he and his client have not received any evidence from prosecutors regarding the vehicle theft.
Surveillance footage from Melvin’s home shows someone arriving in the early morning hours of March 22 and leaving a few minutes later. Several hours later, the video shows the Melvins’ car driving away from the home. The vehicle was taken north and abandoned in a commuter train parking lot, where a tow truck retrieved it later that day.
A witness told police they saw the car in a towing company parking lot on April 4, according to court records. A tow truck driver told police he bought the car for $200 from a man later identified in a photo lineup as Newson.
The detective who wrote the arrest warrant for Newson’s car theft charge said there was probable cause to believe the car theft suspects were also involved in the murders.
The Melvins had been married for a while 60 years. He was a retired excavator operator, while she had worked as a housekeeper in a hospital. They had 28 grandchildren.