Florida ‘conspiracy theorist’ accused of shooting neighbor to death at Bartow apartment complex

BARTOW, Fla. - A Bartow man is accused of shooting his downstairs neighbor to death at an apartment complex. 

What we know:

During a press conference on Monday morning, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said David Richard Morris, 48, is facing second-degree murder charges in the shooting death of 56-year-old Jeffrey Blevins.

The backstory:

According to the sheriff, Blevins was outside the apartment he shares with his sister on Thursday night, around 11 p.m., talking on the phone with his mother when she said it sounded like he had fallen, and he stopped responding to her.

She hung up the phone and called his sister, who stepped outside and found her brother in a pool of blood, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Judd said Bartow police were on the scene within two minutes of receiving the 911 call and they contacted the sheriff’s office for assistance.

While investigating, deputies said they spoke with a man who said Morris would brag about his gun while he was high on methamphetamine.

"We were running into a dead end until we encountered this one person who was in possession of meth and talked about how he gave meth to Morris in the past," Judd said.

Judd stated that investigators gathered enough evidence to get a search warrant for Morris’ apartment, which he shares with his mother. That apartment, according to PCSO, is above Blevins’ apartment.  

While inside the apartment, investigators said they found a gun in a backpack in a closet.

"Detectives were really excited when they unloaded the firearm and it was the same, exact casing brand and stamp as the murder casing," Judd explained. "Upon further examination, they were even more excited to find that David didn’t do a real good job cleaning the gun because we found blood evidence on the gun.  Then, we were real excited when we found blood evidence on some shoes he had in the house as well as a towel."

Morris was arrested and is being held without bond.

What we don't know:

The motive for the shooting is currently unknown. 

Judd said that there was no camera footage of the shooting and there was no obvious link between the two men.

"There was no fight that night," Judd explained. "This guy is just a weirdo personality who ‘s not a real criminal. Why in the world he decided to shoot this guy? We don’t know because he did lawyer up. It’s still unknown to us. What we do know, is that this kind, non-confrontational, easy-going guy who was living with his sister in the same complex as David Richard Morris, who was living with his mother upstairs for whatever reason that we have not discovered at this time that he decides to shoot and kill him late on Thursday night. Was he on meth? Was he bragging? That is still unknown."

What they're saying:

"He has been described to us as a conspiracy theorist," Judd said. "He is what they call a ‘flat-Earther’. He doesn’t believe the Earth is round. Well, the floor in the county jail is flat anyway and that’s where he is."

The sheriff added, "This guy has literally lived with his mother for all intents and purposes his entire life. He’s a slow pitch in a fast game at best of life. Now, he makes his statement by killing somebody."

What's next:

Morris was charged with second-degree murder, but Judd said those charged may be upgraded to first-degree murder.