Toddler sees mom's new boyfriend slain; police seek his dad
By SHANNON COLAVECCHIO-VAN SICKLER
Published March 17, 2004
TAMPA - Dwayne Ricardo Wilson went to the home of his former girlfriend Tuesday morning looking for their toddler son and got angry when he found another man there, police say.
Half an hour later, Michael Anthony Harris lay bleeding to death in the carport of the east Tampa house, the right side of his neck cut open with a kitchen knife.
Wilson's son, who turns 3 next month, stood over the body of his mother's new boyfriend and watched as blood pooled around his head, said Tampa police spokesman Joe Durkin.
Tuesday night, police were still looking for Wilson, 32, who they say stabbed Harris and fled. Wilson, whose criminal history dates to 1990, faces a charge of second-degree murder.
Wilson's getaway vehicle, a black four-door 2000 Toyota Avalon that might belong to a relative, was found Tuesday afternoon near the greyhound racing track off Juneau Street, Durkin said.
The confrontation between Wilson and Harris, also 32, began about 10:30 a.m. Wilson went to ex-girlfriend Felicia Watson's home on N 38th Street and said he wanted to take their son.
Durkin said Wilson paced back and forth, getting angrier and angrier. Harris, who attended Hillsborough High with Wilson, tried to calm him by suggesting they get the car seat in Watson's car.
Wilson surreptitiously grabbed a knife from a butcher block on the kitchen counter on the way out, Durkin said. He also picked up his little boy.
Watson and her roommate heard the men arguing outside. After a few minutes, the women went outside to check on the toddler.
The child wasn't hurt, but they found Harris bleeding to death. The knife lay in the street in front of Watson's peach one-story home.
Harris died at St. Joseph's Hospital.
As word spread of Harris' death, neighbors and relatives came to the scene and cried into cell phones.
Harris' sister Retha, who owns the nearby Horseshoe Bar; and his brother Lee Rainey drove up to the yellow tape and started crying when officers confirmed their sibling was the victim.
"Oh, no! That's my brother," Rainey said. "Oh, no. No."
Rainey said his brother had just been released from the county jail, after being arrested Jan. 27 on charges of driving with a suspended license and resisting arrest. Jail records list no fixed address for Harris. He has a history of drug convictions, but Rainey said his brother didn't deserve to die.
Lisa Franklin, who dated Harris on and off for two years and remained a friend, described him as a sharp dresser who was handsome and fun to be around.
Tuesday's slaying came six weeks after Watson's restraining order against Wilson, issued last February, expired. State and county records show Wilson has a history of arrests and convictions for drug use, child abuse and domestic battery.
Law enforcement records show Wilson's last known address was on Ridgestone Drive in Carrollwood.
