Man charged in Fort Lauderdale elderly couple’s double murder. He was a family friend
The killer responsible for the murders of Claudette and Major Melvin, an elderly couple who lived in their Fort Lauderdale home for more than half a century, had remained unsolved for six months until Tuesday, when detectives arrested the culprit — a family friend.
Police already had keen eyes on Maurice Anthony Newson Jr., a 30-year-old boyfriend to one of the couple’s 28 grandchildren, when they arrested him for a second time and gave him a fresh set of criminal charges: two counts of first-degree murder and one count of robbery with a firearm, authorities said.
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On March 22, Claudette, 85, and Major, 89, were gunned down in their home on the 600 block of Southwest 30th Terrace. They had lived in the Melrose Manors neighborhood for over 50 years and married for nearly six decades — raising 11 children and 28 grandchildren.
After murdering the couple, Fort Lauderdale police say Newson stole and later sold their red Ford Fusion weeks later to a tow truck driver for $200. He was initially arrested in May for the theft, and is still facing charges of grand theft auto and dealing in stolen property.
At the time, Fort Lauderdale police detectives emphasized they were “working diligently” to determine if Newson was involved in the murder. His girlfriend, one of the Melvin’s granddaughters, was also interrogated in the case. Though it’s not clear whether she’s considered to be a suspect in their killings.
Investigators questioned her, confronting her with paperwork that was uncovered in her room — including a list of property expenses, such as pest control and renovations, a warrant revealed. She told detectives that she didn’t own a property, but confirmed that the expenses were for her grandparents’ house as she was “going to be the one in line to receive the home.”
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More than a month later, she sat through a polygraph test, which found she was “untruthful on the question of being involved in the death of her grandparents Claudette and Major Melvin.”
In another interview, she “changed her answers on [questions] she was previously asked” and denied being next to inherit the house, according to police.
This story was originally published August 27, 2024 at 6:58 PM.
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