Mark Joseph Newsome beat his roommate, Dale Mitchell at this home at Roseville, Michigan, prosecutors said. The attack was over a Taco Bell meal, roommates said. (Mug shot: Macomb County Sheriff’s Office; screenshot WJBK)
A man beat his elderly roommate to death after an argument over Taco Bell, according to witnesses and a prosecutor.
Mark Joseph Newsome, 54, is charged with second-degree murder for allegedly killing Dale Mitchell, 72, Wednesday at a boarding house in Roseville, Michigan, in the 27000 block of Waldorf Street.
Fellow roommates Bob McQuade and Larry Melton said they were each trying to sleep when the violence started, according to Detroit Fox affiliate WJBK. The fatal dispute was over Newsome claiming Mitchell stole his Taco Bell, they said.
Melton told the outlet he overheard, “Why are you doing this? Why are you doing this? Leave me alone. Quit, please quit.”
Prosecutors said that Newsome punched Mitchell in the head several times.
“Mitchell died of his injuries,” authorities said.
Melton told WJBK there was “blood all over upstairs.”
McQuade, who said he trusted Newsome as a friend, called the incident “senseless.”
“I could never believe he would’ve done something like that,” he told the outlet.
“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,” Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido reportedly said. “It would have been a lot easier to walk away.”
The judge denied Newsome bond at his arraignment.
A probable cause hearing is set for Feb. 14, and a preliminary exam is scheduled for Feb. 21. He faces life in prison if convicted.
“Our duty is to uphold the principles of the law, and seek accountability for the loss of a life and ensuring that justice prevails for the victim and their grieving loved ones,” Lucido said in a statement from his office.
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