Detroit police: Suspect in beating deaths of 3 men found in basement was on parole

FOX 2 - A 27-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with the three men found beaten to death inside a basement on Detroit's southwest side.

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The suspect, who has a lengthy criminal record and is on parole, has not been named because formal charges have not been filed yet.

Detroit police said the suspect was arrested Thursday afternoon based on a tip, in the 1400 block of W. Vernor, near where the suspect lives. Officers who arrived at the scene were able to take the suspect into custody.

Inside the vehicle, evidence was found connecting the suspect to the crime, said Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison.

"We believe we have the right individual and there is no threat to the community," he said. "I will say that we believe the suspect has a connection to the victims."

The bodies were found brutally beaten in the basement and also had stab wounds.  The victims have been identified as 72-year-old William Barrett, 66-year-old Norman Hamlin and 65-year-old Mark Barnett. Barrett was the homeowner.

Bettison said that he cannot reveal the motive behind the attacks at the point.  The chief thanked the evidence techs and the concerted work of law enforcement on the case.

"It was a bloody scene," he said.

The chief went over the list of past convictions the suspect has been convicted of.

"Some of his past offenses are carjacking, armed robbery, felony firearm, fleeing police and resisting and obstructing," he said. 

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All three victims have criminal records and neighbors have claimed that the residence was a known drug house.

Police say the incident happened sometime Tuesday afternoon into early Wednesday morning. 

One of the victims found inside the home was the missing persons report who had not been seen since Monday.

The investigation started with a report about a missing person Wednesday afternoon and escalated when they made the gruesome discovery.

Officers were called to the city's southwest side about a missing person. While police were in the area of Edsel Street and Francis Avenue around 1 p.m., they were approached by a person who said they had been assaulted inside a nearby home.

When the officers went to that home on Edsel, they found three men dead in the basement with two wrapped in dirty clothes and a third rolled up in a carpet.