Man accused of fatally stabbing brother’s friend because he wouldn’t let him smoke weed
10/09/2023 11:46 am PDT
DELTONA, Fla. (TCD) -- Deputies have apprehended a 31-year-old man who allegedly killed his brother’s friend during an argument about marijuana over the weekend.
According to a news release from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, on Sunday, Oct. 8, at approximately 11 a.m., deputies responded to a home at 2997 Glenridge Terrace to a report of a shooting. A witness reportedly found the 21-year-old victim bleeding from the abdomen, stopped to help, and called 911.
When officials asked the victim who caused his injuries, he "pointed back at the house but was unable to provide more details."
The victim was transported to the hospital, where he succumbed to stab injuries, rather than the initially reported gunshot wounds.
A witness who was present during the stabbing said Joseph McDonald was allegedly responsible for the victim’s death. The Sheriff’s Office subsequently launched a search for McDonald, who had fled the scene. Deputies also released McDonald’s photo, and citizens began reporting sightings.
The Sheriff’s Office deployed helicopter crews and K-9 units to find McDonald, and at approximately 1:15 p.m., he was located coming out of brush near the 2000 block of Newmark Drive.
McDonald’s left hand was reportedly wrapped and bleeding. He was transported to a hospital in Sanford, where medical staff said his hand injuries "appeared to be lacerations from a sharp object."
A witness told deputies that he and the victim went to the Glenridge Terrace house to smoke marijuana, but their friend wasn’t there, and their friend’s brother — McDonald — let them in. McDonald reportedly got angry when he "was not given a chance to smoke," and he threatened to kill the victim.
As the argument escalated, the victim allegedly went to the garage. Soon after, the Sheriff’s Office said the victim came outside bleeding and asking someone to call 911.
McDonald faces a charge of first-degree murder and will be held without bond.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, investigators learned McDonald allegedly suffered from mental illness and had lived in the home for approximately two months.
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