Tampa police have taken a man in custody on suspicion of the murder of a South Tampa resident. The murder took place back in July. It was apparently a strangling according to police records.
On July 16 there was some kind of an incident at a private residence. The residence has been confirmed as the home of Dwayne Martin. The structure is located on West Price Avenue.
Apparently Robert Thomas, age 35, was having a few alcoholic drinks with Martin at his home. The two individuals began to have an argument, presumably heated by the presence of alcohol. The nature of the dispute is currently unclear to the police who were assigned to this particular case.
Investigators are looking into what may have sparked it, according to the police force. During the argument at some point Thomas attacked Martin. He strangled Martin, who was age 50 at the time, to death. Police investigations began slightly later.
Martin had been a lifelong resident of the area. He attended Robinson High School when he grew up, and he was known for painting offices and houses. He made his living in the trade.
The investigation began because someone walking by the home on the night of July 16 noticed that the front door was open. That witness walked up to the front door and took a peak inside. They saw that Martin was dead. As soon as they could, the witness called 911.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement provided homicide detectives from the Tampa police department with a positive DNA match on Tuesday September 17. The DNA came from blood that was found on Martin, and matched Thomas' DNA footprint. Other matching DNA had been found in Martin's home on the night of the murder.
As a result the U.S. marshals Fugitive Task Force located Thomas, and he was arrested without any incident on September 17. Police did not have any real trouble to report when apprehending him. Presumably he will now be charged and afforded a fair trial to defend the suspicions that have been ultimately levied against him.