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Room invasion turns deadly

A man says he fled and called for help after robbers broke in to his Tampa motel room and killed his roommate.

By ABBIE VANSICKLE
Published July 27, 2006

TAMPA - Just before 1 p.m., investigators carried Fred Douglas McCray III's body down the stairs from the motel room where he was killed.

As investigators loaded the medical examiner's van, his family and friends stood nearby, many crying. Residents of the MacDill Motel watched from a balcony.

No one has been arrested in McCray's killing, but police said they had a good idea of what happened, thanks to Jose L. Pacheco.

McCray, 27, and Pacheco, 18, shared Room 207 at the motel, a brick and stucco, two-story building at 6227 S Dale Mabry Highway, where a sign pitches low weekly and daily rates.

About 10 a.m. Wednesday, two men broke open the door to Room 207.

They ordered McCray and Pacheco into the bathroom, demanding money and the keys to McCray's black Lexus, which was parked outside, police said.

Then, the intruders shot McCray, killing him.

Pacheco feared he, too, would be killed, so he took a chance and jumped from the bathroom window, landing on the ground two stories below, police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said.

He ran along Elmwood Terrace. He passed the first home, but he when he got to the second, he broke open the door, grabbed a phone from the bedroom and called 911.

When police arrived at the motel, the intruders had disappeared.

The shooter was described as a 5-foot-7 black man with a stocky build in his early 20s. He wore a white shirt and jeans, police said. The other robber was described as a 5-foot-6 black man in his early 20s with a thin build. He wore a white shirt, jeans, a black bandana and a white hat. Anyone with information can call police at 813 231-6130.

McCray's stepbrother, Joey Morales, 23, of St. Petersburg, described McCray as good-hearted.

"He was a kind person," Morales said.

Jail records show McCray had trouble with the law. In April 2004, he was arrested on charges of aggravated assault with a weapon, openly carrying a 9 millimeter handgun and possession of marijuana.

Pacheco, too, has been arrested, on charges of burglary, theft, assault and battery. It wasn't clear from state records how the cases were resolved.

Wednesday, Pacheco was taken to Tampa General Hospital, where he was in critical condition. Davis said he might have broken ribs when he jumped.

Pacheco gave Dolores Salabarria, 75, quite a fright.

When Salabarria returned from her morning workout, she noticed the front door of her home on Elmwood Terrace was wide open. She stayed outside and called police. When they arrived, she learned that Pacheco had used her home as a sanctuary.

"He wrecked the door," she said, pointing to the cracked molding.

Salabarria and her husband, Frank, 69, have lived there since 1963. Their street is pretty quiet, they said, but they've suspected drug and prostitution activity at the motel.

"I can't believe they haven't torn it down and built a police station," she said.

A manager at the motel declined to speak with a reporter.

Dawn Cooper, two children and her boyfriend, Terry Fox, rent a room at the motel for $290 a week.

She didn't know either of the men in 207, she said.

"If I had another place to go right now, I would be gone," said Cooper, who is unemployed and on disability.

Fox, a metal grinder, said there have been fights recently at the motel. "It's gotten really bad here," he said.

Among the family and friends gathered near the motel office to grieve was Kelly Doster.

Doster is the mother of Kwane Doster, a star running back from Robinson High School who went on to play for Vanderbilt. Kwane Doster was 21 when he was shot and killed on an Ybor City street in December 2004.

Doster had seen the news of the motel killing on television. Her son had grown up with McCray. She felt she could help his mother.

After all, she could understand the pain of losing a child.

"They're going through tragedy right now," she said. "She doesn't need to be alone."

Abbie VanSickle can be reached at 226-3373 or vansickle@sptimes.com.

[Last modified July 27, 2006, 06:17:57]