Current:Home > BackSisters mystified by slaying of their octogenarian parents inside Florida home-LoTradeCoin
Sisters mystified by slaying of their octogenarian parents inside Florida home
View Date:2024-12-24 00:37:21
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Kim Melvin Hill and Tonya Mitchell sat before a bank of TV cameras on Wednesday, mystified as to why anyone would kill their octogenarian parents inside their Fort Lauderdale home and, it appears, only steal their 10-year-old car.
“We’re angry. We’re angry. We’re very angry,” said Hill, the youngest of the couple’s 11 children. Major and Claudette Melvin were killed on March 22.
“We ask those questions, but we are Christian people as well ... so I can’t put my mind that way because if you believe in God, he has your time, your place and how.”
Her sister was more blunt.
“This maggot,” Mitchell said of the killer.
The case has drawn major attention in South Florida and the Fort Lauderdale police have issued a nationwide alert for the couple’s red 2014 Ford Focus, Florida license plate LTDQ16. Homicide Sgt. Donald Geiger said Wednesday there is no indication the car has left the area, but declined to say if it has been detected since the slayings by automated license plate readers that dot many of the region’s main roads.
Geiger was tight-lipped about details of the slayings, but Mitchell previously told reporters that her 89-year-old father was shot as he slept on the living room couch and her 85-year-old mother was then shot as she came out of the bedroom. The killer left behind their mother’s purse and other valuables, Mitchell said previously. Claudette Melvin’s brother, who has special needs, was in the house but wasn’t harmed. His sisters have said he couldn’t provide any information.
A $5,000 reward has been offered for information leading to a suspect’s arrest.
The Melvins had been married for 60 years. He was a retired backhoe operator, while she had worked in housekeeping at a hospital. They had 28 grandchildren.
“They were the most loving people I have ever known,” Hill said. “They lived in that area for (50) years and whoever this perpetrator is needs to ....” Her voice then trailed off as she stopped mid-sentence, overcome by tears.
“They didn’t deserve this,” her sister said.
veryGood! (2869)
Related
- Police cruiser strikes and kills a bicyclist pulling a trailer in Vermont
- Stores lure back-to-school shoppers with deals and ‘buy now, pay later’ plans
- Georgia seaport closes gap with Baltimore, the top US auto port
- Pregnant Francesca Farago and Jesse Sullivan Reveal Sex of Twin Babies
- Father, 5 children hurt in propane tank explosion while getting toys: 'Devastating accident'
- Bella Hadid was 'shocked' by controversial Adidas campaign: 'I do not believe in hate'
- The 25 Most Popular Amazon Items E! Readers Bought This Month: Viral Beauty Products & More
- Inflation rankings flip: Northeast has largest price jumps, South and West cool off
- Brian Austin Green’s Fiancée Sharna Burgess Celebrates Megan Fox’s Pregnancy News
- ‘TikTok, do your thing’: Why are young people scared to make first move?
Ranking
- Black women notch historic Senate wins in an election year defined by potential firsts
- Kamala Harris energizes South Asian voters, a growing force in key swing states
- Construction company in Idaho airport hangar collapse ignored safety standards, OSHA says
- Saoirse Ronan secretly married her 'Mary Queen of Scots' co-star Jack Lowden in Scotland
- Powell says Fed will likely cut rates cautiously given persistent inflation pressures
- Simone Biles and Team USA take aim at gold in the women’s gymnastics team final
- Pregnant Francesca Farago and Jesse Sullivan Reveal Sex of Twin Babies
- Redemption tour for USA men's volleyball off to a good start at Paris Olympics
Recommendation
-
Sister Wives’ Christine Brown Shares Glimpse Into Honeymoon One Year After Marrying David Woolley
-
When's the next Federal Reserve meeting? Here's when to expect updates on current rate.
-
Tom Daley’s Son Phoenix Makes a Splash While Interrupting Diver After Olympic Medal Win
-
How Harris and Trump differ on artificial intelligence policy
-
Jason Kelce collaborates with Stevie Nicks for Christmas duet: Hear the song
-
Arson suspect claims massive California blaze was an accident
-
Did Katie Ledecky win? How she finished in 1500 free heat, highlights from Paris Olympics
-
How did Simone Biles do Tuesday? U.S. wins gold medal in team all-around final