Elderly St. Pete man's death ruled homicide

ST. PETERSBURG (FOX 13) - An elderly man was found inside his home Monday and police said there was no evidence of foul play at the scene, but after an autopsy, the St. Petersburg Police Department says there were injuries consistent with homicide and want to know who's responsible.

Detectives say 76-year-old Robert Bonnell’s roommate found him dead Monday.

Police originally thought he died from natural causes because there were no signs of trauma. However, Lt. Charles Coeyman said an autopsy indicates otherwise.

“The injuries were at a level to indicate that some sort of homicidal violence took place inside the home,” Coeyman said.

Detectives wouldn’t go into specifics on the type of injuries Bonnell sustained, but officers got a warrant to search the home in the 3800 block of 6th Ave N.

Lt. Coeyman says they do have a few leads – but still want to talk to as many people as possible who are connected to the home.