Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 3-21-17

Features
Murdered Tampa Man Took Pride In Children, Business
Police Probe Death Of Inmate
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
A Tampa businessman re- portedly died nearly 9 months after being shot out- side an East Tampa market. His family described him as being selfless when it came to his children and committed when it came to his business.
The owner and operator of Unique Auto Detail, corner of E. Lake Avenue and N. 29th Street, Elvin “Fathead” Joseph, 44, died a week ago. He never recovered from being shot on at King’s Meat Market, 3523 N. 22nd Street, on the afternoon of June 23, 2016. Witnesses told police he was leaving the store on his bicycle, when an un- known suspect shot him and fled the scene.
But, as Tampa Police con- tinue their investigation which has now been up- graded to a murder investiga- tion, his family shared comments about Joseph.
“He was maybe the hard- est working man ever. Six to seven days a week, he was at his business working from open to close. He was the community’s lifeline and he took pride in the community, too,” his 18-year-old son, Ha- keem, said.
Joseph further said of his father that the most im- portant thing his father took pride in was raising his chil- dren. “Family first was his motto and he would always be selfless when it came to his family. He came with a stern and authoritative voice, but kids and adults always
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating the death of an inmate.
Larry D. Rowe was taken to the hospital in crit- ical condition and never re- gained consciousness. He died at 6 p.m., after being removed from life support.
According to police, Rowe, 37, was housed in the medical housing area of the jail in Clearwater.
Police said Rowe had no obvious signs of injury and there were no indica- tions of a confrontation or use of force.
Rowe was an inmate in the Florida Department of Corrections system. He was brought back to St. Peters- burg on April 22, 2016, for a youthful offender status
LARRY B. ROWE
check and a re-sentencing hearing. The hearing was set for May 31, 2017.
Rowe had been con- victed of murder in 1997 and was serving a life sen- tence at the time of his death. The investigation is continuing.
ELVIN “FATHEAD” RENOLD JOSEPH 12/7/1972 to 3/11/2017
wanted to be his friend. He is going to be truly missed in the Tampa Bay community and everywhere else he has made an impact,” Joseph stated.
A native of St. Croix, Vir- gin Islands, Joseph at- tended schools in St. Croix before coming to Tampa.
Joseph is survived by 6 children, 2 grandchildren and another on the way, his father, 4 siblings, his best friend and business partner, and a host of other family members and friends. He will be laid to rest in his home- town in St. Croix.
Police said Joseph never
recovered from his injury and had been in the care of Hos- pice for about a week before he died.
The criminal investigation is continuing.
A spokesperson for the Tampa Police Department said the department is re- questing that anyone with in- formation contact them at (813) 231-6130, or contact Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay at 1-800-873-TIPS, or www.crimestopperstb.com.
Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $3,000 for anyone arrested and con- victed of committing the murder.
Man Sentenced As Career Criminal Given 24 Years In Prison
A U. S. District judge has sentenced a Tampa man to more than two decades in prison. District Judge Vir- ginia Hernandez Coving- ton sentenced Ernest Vereen, Jr., 40, to 24 years and 6 months in federal prison. Vereen was found guilty of being an armed, ca- reer criminal in possession of a firearm. He was convicted by a jury after a two-day trial on November 1, 2016.
According to trial testi- mony, when Vereen was confronted by Tampa Police during an open investigation,
ERNEST VEREEN, JR. ... Sentenced to 24 years, 5 months in prison
Vereen reached for his firearm before ultimately complying with their de-
mands.
During the sentencing
hearing, Judge Hernandez Covington described him as having “a decades-long his- tory of sexual and physical vi- olence, noting that she was particularly concerned that Vereen targeted people with less physical strength than himself, specifically, women and in one instance, a 4-year- old child.”
She said Vereen was sen- tenced on the high-end of the guidelines range because the Court’s first obligation was to keep society safe.
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