Franklin County Man Charged In Roomate’s Death

Franklin County Deputies responded to a suspicious vehicle report on County Road 4315 and found it had caught fire. Further investigation led deputies to another crime scene in the Pelican Bay community of Lake Cypress Springs. Officers then found the body of the owner of the burnt vehicle, 69-year-old Murrell Dempsey Newman, in his residence. Evidence led to the arrest of Newman’s roommate, Jeffery Dale Shelby. They booked Shelby into the Franklin County Jail on a murder charge with a bond of $1 million. Deputies also charged Shelby with Violation of Probation for aggravated assault and increased his bond by $250,000.