Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Body of murder victim found inside apartment

By CASEY CORA
Published March 22, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG - Detectives identified the victim of a murder after neighbors discovered his body inside a blood-soaked apartment on Wednesday.

Eric Lamont Williams, 35, was found inside Unit 6 of Redwood Apartments, 7524 41st Ave. N in unincorporated St. Petersburg.

Investigators were called to the scene about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, but they had to wait to secure a warrant before they could process the scene about 5 p.m., Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Cecilia Barreda said.

Carl Sandberg, 38, a resident of Redwood Apartments, called police after he said he and a friend opened the door to the apartment when they went looking for another friend.

Sandberg said he hadn't seen the friend in three days.

They didn't find the friend. Instead, they discovered Williams' body and a grisly crime scene.

Late Wednesday, authorities were questioning the tenant of the apartment and called him a suspect, but they did not release his name.

Police would not say whether the tenant and Williams knew each other.

The motive for the killing remained unclear.

Residents said the neighborhood is a working-class enclave on the city's northwest side, a place where most people keep to themselves. But, they said, there always seems to be a police presence at Redwood Apartments.

"They need to clean that place or shut it down," said 49-year-old Alan Cherkis. "The whole neighborhood is kind of scared."

[Last modified March 22, 2007, 06:42:32]