A 20-year-old is accused of shooting and killing a man inside the victim's home, according to Fort Pierce police.
The victim, Joseph Brown, was found dead on May 26 in the 4500 block of Whispering Pines Ln., an arrest report states.
Police said they tracked down the suspected gunman, Arkevius Malone, using texts on Brown’s phone.
They discovered a phone number was associated with a Facebook account for “Dejah Malone.” Officers said Malone’s Facebook account listed him as engaged to Dallas Crometie.
Crometie reported her home was broken into on June 30 and her boyfriend’s gold necklace was stolen, the report states. She told police in the report her boyfriend is Malone.
The phone number Crometie gave for Malone in the burglary case matched the phone number for the text’s sent to Brown in May, officers say.
Malone was booked into the St Lucie County jail on June 20 for a separate charge. Detectives spoke with Malone in jail on July 20 when they said he denied knowing Brown.
Investigators listened to a jail phone call between Malone and Crometie the next day when Malone talked about “something bad” he had done.
“They tried to get me but I didn’t break,” Malone reportedly said to his girlfriend over the phone about the investigators questioning him.
Crometie admitted to police that Malone met Brown on Facebook and arranged to meet at Brown’s apartment to borrow $40 from him, the report states. She said in the report she dropped him off there and Malone returned home later with his head down saying "he had done something bad.”
Malone was arrested on July 26 and is charged with premeditated murder. He is being held at the St. Lucie County jail without bond.