Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 9-4-15 Edition

Features
Tampa Native Murdered By Man He Befriended
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
When Daniel (Danny) K. Mitchell, Jr., failed to arrive at work in April 2015, everyone thought he would be in later. However, when Mitchell had not arrived at work by noon, his business partner became concerned.
Ms. Sandra Willis, Mitchell’s mother said, “At first, we didn’t think any- thing was wrong. We thought he had just overslept.”
Ms. Willis said a deputy lived next door to her son and his partner asked him to do a wellness check. How- ever, when the deputy ar- rived at the home, he noticed items of clothing with blood on them and contacted the Orange County Sheriff’s Of- fice.
When law enforcement entered the home on Peabody Street, in Orlando, they discovered Mitchell’s body. His death was ruled a homicide.
A Tampa native, Mitchell, 34, was the third of Ms. Willis’ seven chil- dren. He attended the public schools of Hillsborough County, and graduated from the newly constructed
DANIEL K. MITCHELL, JR. ... was killed by man
he befriended
Howard W. Blake High School in 1998.
He moved to Orlando nine years ago, and was a partner in Trinity Enterprise, LLC, a company that re- paired credit for consumers.
During the investigation into the murder, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office iden- tified a suspect in the crime and issued a warrant for his arrest.
On August 19th, the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jamel Emmanuel Mitchell, 28, (no relations) and charged him with first degree murder.
Ms. Willis said her son had met Jamel Mitchell through a friend about a month before his death. “He
JAMEL EMMANUEL MITCHELL
... Charged with
first-degree murder
used his brother’s name from the beginning. He never told us his real name.
“His brother had been ar- rested for something else. When police showed us a pic- ture of him, he did look like his brother, but my son’s friend remembered the per- son we knew as “Nicholas” had a tattoo.”
She further stated that police told her the motive for the murder was robbery. “He took my son’s jewelry, money, and his life as well.”
She later learned that her son had been shot and stabbed to death. He was in- terred in Tampa.
Jamel Emmanuel Mitchell is currently await- ing trial for the crimes.
Police Seek Witnesses In Crash That Kills Man, 93
On Tuesday morning, an elderly Tampa man was criti- cally injured in a traffic acci- dent. The accident took place shortly before 11 a.m., at the in- tersection of 28th Street and E. Busch Blvd.
According to police,
William John Thompson
as crossing the street when a 1995 gold colored Saturn struck him. Thompson, who was not in the crosswalk, struck the hood and then the windshield of the vehicle.
The driver of the vehicle continued in a westbound di- rection on Busch Blvd., without stopping. The vehicle was later found abandoned on the side of
the road at 18th Street and Fair- banks.
Thompson, who turned 93 in July, was transported to a local hospital, where he is “clinging to life.” Thompson died as a result of his injuries Wednesday night,” police said.
Witnesses to the accident told police that there were sev- eral people in the vehicle at the time of the hit and run. Detec- tives are asking the passengers or anyone with information to come forward.
Police said the passengers are not facing any charges at this time. However, they could be charged if they withhold in- formation relevant to a crime.
Police Identify Body Found In Cemetery
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has released the identity of a body was found in the cemetery. The man’s body was discovered inside the Fellowship Ceme- tery, 10232 Highway 674, in Wiamauma.
According to the Hills- borough County Sheriff’s Of- fice, the man has been identified as 69-year-old Juan Alberto Pelaez, of Tampa.
A visitor to the cemetery
discovered the body and con- tacted police. The victim suf- fered from trauma to his upper torso. During the in- vestigation, police also lo- cated a 2005 HR Hummer that belonged to the victim in the cemetery.
Anyone with any infor- mation about the case is asked to contact the Hills- borough County Sheriff’s Of- fice at (813) 247-8200; or Crime Stoppers at 1-800- 873-TIPS (8477).
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