Dunedin – A Kentucky man accused of striking and killing his boyfriend with a hatchet told Dunedin police he isn’t gay, but was only using the victim for a place to stay, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Arthur Michael DeCarvalho was charged with murder in the First Degree for the murder of Dunedin man David Elsey, according to police.
The Times reported the two had been seeing one another for a while and had been keeping residence at Elsey’s home for the last month or so.
“He said their relationship was going great,” Patrick Martin, a next-door neighbor told the paper. “He said, ‘This is the one. We’re on the same page.’ ”
A Clearwater Police affidavit shows that a patrol officer came into contact with DeCarvalho twice between the hours of 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. on June 7 before Elsey’s body was found at his condominium on South Gulfview Boulevard.
DeCarvalho was found wondering Clearwater Beach with only one shoe and smelling of alcohol. He admitted to Michael Leonardo, a Clearwater patrol officer, he was drunk. The officer drove him home, the affidavit said.
Hours later, Leonardo found DeCarvalho sleeping in the driver’s seat of a Ford F-150 pickup.
The officer then put DeCarvalho into protective custody, which is when DeCarvalho leaked to the officer he had murdered Elsey by bashing his skull numerous times.
During the arrest, DeCarvalho waived his Miranda rights and told the officer that even though Elsey was gay, he was not, the Times reported. He then told the officer that he was only using Elsey for a place to stay.
During this conversation, he told the officer that on his birthday, which was June 5, he woke up to Elsey tying his legs and arms, the affidavit said. He said that Elsey told him he had rape fantasies and he was about to make them a reality.
DeCarvalho told the officer that he suggested to Elsey to reverse roles and allow him to tie him up and then rape him.
Elsey agreed and allowed DeCarvalho to tie him up, after which DeCarvalho grabbed a hatchet from the garage and struck Elsey about 10 times in the head, the arrest affidavit says.
When officials went to the home on the 1600 block of Summit Way to conduct a welfare check around 5 a.m., they found a naked Elsey tied to a bed by his limp limbs with a pillow covering his head. They also found the hatchet, which was on the bed near the victim.
DeCarvalho, who was previously described as a transient, was wanted in Kentucky for violation of a domestic violence injunction before Elsey’s murder took place.
The Tampa Bay Times reported that in September, DeCarvalho served three months in jail for harassment and stalking charges. He was court-ordered to not contact the victim, his daughter’s mother.
However, on April 23 he violated these terms when he sent a string of violent text messages to her, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
“I look forward to killing you and watching your blood ooze out of your body,” Tampa Bay Times said one text message read. “Watching the life leave your eyes as I stare at you and finally get to feel the satisfaction of getting revenge on you … Hug her (their daughter) good bye because once I see you … you will never see her again.”
DeCarvalho moved to Florida after meeting Elsey online and failed to appear in court for the hearing.
Elsey worked as a human resources recruiter for the marketing research firm Neilsen and was a former leader of the company’s pride coalition as a resource for LGBT employees. Friends say he was a Disney fan and neighbors described him as quiet and respectful.
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