Investigators say evidence from a searched apartment tied a 9mm handgun to the killing of a 56-year-old man outside his sister’s home.
BARTOW, Fla. — A 48-year-old Bartow man has been charged with second-degree murder after investigators said he shot and killed his downstairs neighbor late March 26 at an apartment complex, then kept the suspected weapon in a closet inside the unit he shared with his mother.
Authorities say the case moved quickly from a violent death investigation to a murder arrest after detectives linked physical evidence from the scene to items found inside the suspect’s apartment. The victim, 56-year-old Jeffrey Blevins, was found outside the apartment he shared with his sister at Fountain Place Apartments. Sheriff Grady Judd said the motive remains unknown, but investigators say the evidence trail was strong enough to support a murder charge and may lead to a more serious count as the case develops.
Blevins was outside around 11 p.m. Thursday, March 26, talking by phone with his mother, according to investigators. During that call, his mother heard what sounded like a sudden collapse, and he stopped responding. She then called Blevins’ sister, who stepped outside and found him badly wounded in a pool of blood. Bartow police officers reached the complex within minutes of the 911 call and asked the Polk County Sheriff’s Office to assist. Detectives determined that Blevins had suffered a fatal gunshot wound and recovered a 9mm casing at the scene. By Monday, Judd said the case had turned on “old-fashioned detective work,” describing an inquiry that began without video footage or an eyewitness account of the shooting itself.
Investigators said the break came as detectives spoke with residents and other witnesses at the complex. According to the sheriff’s office, one resident reported that David Richard Morris had behaved aggressively toward other tenants. Another said Morris had a confrontation with Blevins before the killing. Judd also said detectives interviewed a man who claimed Morris had bragged about his gun while using methamphetamine in the past. Those statements helped detectives build enough probable cause to seek a search warrant for Morris’ apartment, which was directly above Blevins’ unit. Inside, investigators said they found a 9mm handgun in a backpack or closet area, along with a towel, shoes and clothing that appeared to have blood on them. Authorities later said ballistic testing confirmed that shell casing samples from the recovered handgun matched the casing found at the killing scene.
The sheriff’s office said forensic work became the backbone of the case. Investigators entered shell casing samples into the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, commonly called NIBIN, and said the comparison showed the gun recovered from Morris’ apartment was the murder weapon. Judd said detectives also found what appeared to be blood evidence on the firearm itself and on other items in the residence. Those findings gave the investigation a clearer path after what officials described as an early dead end. Even so, several central questions remain unresolved. Authorities have not publicly described a clear motive, and Judd said there was no camera footage showing the shooting. Investigators also have not publicly detailed the exact moments before the gunfire or said whether Morris and Blevins had an ongoing dispute beyond the reported earlier confrontation.
Morris was first taken into custody during the apartment search, when investigators said he refused to remain seated and interfered with detectives by yelling as they worked. The sheriff’s office said he was initially booked on misdemeanor counts of resisting and interfering with a traffic control device after deputies found two street signs in his possession. As forensic results came back, detectives added a second-degree murder charge tied to Blevins’ death. Judd said Monday that the charge could be upgraded to first-degree murder as the investigation continues, though no such upgrade had been announced at that point. Morris was being held without bond. Any future charging decision is expected to depend on additional review of witness accounts, forensic evidence and the timeline that prosecutors believe they can prove in court.
The killing shook a modest apartment complex where neighbors, relatives and investigators were suddenly pulled into a homicide case that began with a routine phone call home. Blevins, according to Judd, had been living with his sister in the complex and was described by authorities as easygoing and non-confrontational. Officials have not released a broader portrait of Morris beyond allegations gathered during the case and the sheriff’s own remarks at a news conference. Bartow Police Chief Stephen Walker said the arrest reflected close work between city police and sheriff’s detectives. The scene itself offered little immediate clarity, officials said, making each interview and each piece of physical evidence more important. By the time of the arrest announcement, investigators were presenting the case as one built from fragments that gradually pointed to the upstairs neighbor.
The case now stands at the charging stage, with Morris jailed and detectives still working to answer why Blevins was killed. The next milestone is likely a court appearance as prosecutors decide whether the second-degree murder count will remain or be revised.
Author note: Last updated April 1, 2026.