Police want to talk with person who gave Middletown double homicide suspect ride
Apr. 5—Tuesday marked two months since 25-year-old roommates and friends were gunned down in their Middletown home, and police say they need a bit more information to make an arrest of a person of interest in the double homicide.
On Feb. 4, Daniel Fitzgerald and Marvin Tyrone Davis II returned to their 15th Avenue home after an evening at an Elliott Drive bar. By 3:27 a.m., both men had been hit by gunfire.
Davis, known as to his family as Ty, called 911 for help saying, "please come help me, I don't want to die."
Last month, Middletown Police Chief David Birk said detectives have a person of interest who left Bar II with the victims. And detectives are continuing to review electronic devices with the use of search warrants to determine who killed them and why.
That is still true, according to Sgt. Earl Nelson. But detectives need the person who picked up the suspect after the shooting.
"We have zeroed in on a suspect, we are waiting on electronic evidence to come back and we are looking for people who might have information to get us over the hump, so to speak," Nelson said.
Specifically, detectives are looking for a person who is unknown to them at the time they "picked our suspect up that night."
Nelson said at the time, the person may not have known who the person to whom they gave a ride was a suspect, but now they likely do.
"We are trying for figure out who that is and get them in here to talk to them," Nelson said.
The sergeant said detectives believe the double homicide has a "small" connection to the fatal shooting of Nais McVay, 24, who was shot multiple times on Sept. 13 while sitting in a car near the corner of Fairmount Avenue and Young Street. McVay's homicide is unsolved.
Fitzgerald died of a gunshot wound at the scene, according to the Butler County Coroner's Office. Davis died of multiple gunshot wounds, according to Warren County Coroner Dr. Russell Uptegrove. Davis was taken to Atrium Medical Center, which is in Warren County, where he died.
Stephen Hightower II, Davis' cousin, said Ty was raised by his mother, Trish Snow, with three sisters and plenty of aunts, uncles and cousins. He is also survived by his father Marvin Davis.
"It's a big, but close family. Even though we were cousins, he would call me Uncle Stephen," Hightower said.
Davis was a typical young man in his 20s who had some challenges that began with the death of his infant daughter three years ago.
Davis' mother raised him in the church and he remained involved in activities. In December, Davis was baptized at New Era Baptist Church.
He worked as a mentor at the Robert Sonny Hill Community Center.
Hightower said Davis was "at the wrong place at the wrong time" the morning he died. "Even though it was his house, it was not something he was involved with."
Fitzgerald's family has declined comment or an interview.
There was no evidence of forced entry into their residence nor any indication the men fired in self-defense. It does not appear to be a robbery, according to police.
Anyone with information regarding the double homicide is asked to call Detective Trey Porter at 513-425-7796.
