A 72-year-old man is dead and a 54-year-old is in custody in the Michigan city of Roseville after cops say an argument turned violent… an argument over a Taco Bell food order.
On Tuesday, Mark Newsome (pictured above in his mugshot) was officially charged with second-degree murder by authorities in Macomb County, Michigan. The prosecutor’s office there claims Newsome beat 72-year-old Dale Mitchell to death in the home they shared. And the reason for the attack, authorities say, was a spat over a Taco Bell order.
The incident actually occurred back in January, but at the time, prosecutors didn’t feel like they had enough evidence to charge Newsome with murder. Over the last several months, they interviewed witnesses and pieced together the timeline of the alleged attack. And by Tuesday, they were confident in their case. So they arrested Newsome and charged him. As of Wednesday morning, he is being held without bond in the Macomb County Jail.
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According to the Macomb Daily, Newsome and Mitchell were both residents of a boarding house on Waldorf Street in the city of Roseville. At some point on the final night of January, other boarders in the house heard Mitchell cry for help. Two other boarders in the home, Bob McQuade and Larry Melton, confirmed to Detroit-based television station WJBK that they had been asleep at the time of the attack and woke up to Mitchell’s cries. Melton said:
“There was blood all over upstairs. [The victim said], ‘Why are you doing this? Why are you doing this? Leave me alone! Quit, please quit!’ That’s what I heard.”
OMG…
McQuade called the tragedy “senseless,” and added:
“Oh, God, it scared the hell out of me, it really did. To think a fight over food would escalate into murder. It’s inconceivable. I trusted Mark as my friend. I could never believe he would’ve done something like that.”
Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido‘s office revealed on Tuesday that Newsome punched Mitchell several times in the head during the argument. They believe the blows alone were severe enough to kill Mitchell — hence the murder charge. Heartbreakingly, the Macomb Daily reports that Mitchell was becoming increasingly fragile in his later years as his health deteriorated. Loved ones told the paper he was a “kind, gentle soul” prior to his death.
Lucido slammed Newsome and the fast food motive behind the horrific tragedy:
“We are committed to ensuring that justice is served for the victim and his family. … If we’ve come to grips with life about fighting and killing somebody over a taco or food itself, there’s gotta be more to life than that. It would have been a lot easier to walk away.”
Here is more on this awful case:
Newsome’s next court appearance is scheduled for July 2. Ugh. What a senseless and unnecessary tragedy. And over a meal from Taco Bell?! Truly awful on all levels…
[Image via Roseville Police Department]
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