FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - A homeless man who had staying at a South Florida hotel as part of an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus is accused of fatally stabbing and stomping on the throat of another guest.
Recently released documents showed that Charles Morgan, of Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., checked into the Rodeway Inn & Suites in Dania Beach on Aug. 1 because of bad weather in the area, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported.
While there, investigators said Morgan crossed paths with Alphonso Washington, who had been staying at the hotel for two months as part of an effort by Fort Lauderdale officials to house homeless people.
Morgan checked in about 9 p.m. and early the next morning asked the front desk clerk about a check cashing store, arrest reports said. When he returned to the hotel he had breakfast and then left in a cab to go to Walmart.
Later that morning, Morgan returned to room 3104, the report said. Investigators also said that Washington had been seen following Morgan that morning.
Just after 10 a.m., Washington got into an argument with Morgan, who was sitting outside his room on a chair, the report said.
Surveillance video from the hotel skips at that point, but police believe the men entered the room together. At 10:13 a.m., Washington is seen leaving the room, sitting in the chair outside, and then pacing around the area until almost 11 a.m..
Around that time, a housekeeper passed by and overheard an argument between two men. She told investigators she recognized Washington’s voice from previous interactions with him, the newspaper reported.
The video shows Washington leaving the room at almost 12:30 p.m. He was carrying a bag.
Morgan was found in the hotel room bathroom later that day. His larynx was crushed so severely that it would have had to be caused by “stomping on a person’s throat,” the arrest report said.
Washington’s roommate told investigators Washington washed his clothes in the sink before leaving with an iPad that he had never seen before. Police searched the room and found a white face mask with “Martha’s Vineyard” imprinted on it.
When Washington returned to the hotel, he agreed to go to police headquarters to talk. He denied killing Morgan. The arrest report doesn’t list a motive for the killing.
Washington was charged with murder. Jail records don’t list a lawyer for him.
Court records show Washington has a lengthy criminal history, including a conviction for killing a woman in Homestead in 1985.
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