The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE killing of a 69-year-old homeless man on East Bay Street has left his family struggling to understand how a routine weekend night ended in violence, insisting he was not confrontational and never troubled anyone.

Felix Morley died after being assaulted near Dunmore Lane on Saturday. Police said officers on patrol saw a man striking Morley with a stick during an altercation. They intervened and found Morley unresponsive. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital. A 39-year-old man was taken into custody.

Morley’s nephew, Cordero Seymour, said the family remains deeply confused about what led to the fatal encounter. While acknowledging that his uncle lived on the streets, moved around frequently, and struggled with drug use, he said Morley was not aggressive and generally kept to himself.

Mr Seymour said relatives were told Morley may have done something to provoke the confrontation, but they have not been given clarity on what that might have been.

“We don’t know what he did, and he just beat him to death,” he added, questioning whether his uncle may have been targeted because he was homeless.

He described Morley as intelligent and articulate, noting that he graduated from St Augustine’s College and later attended college abroad. Despite living on the streets, Morley remained in regular contact with his family and often spoke fondly about his past.

Relatives said he was fiercely independent and preferred not to rely on family support, believing in handling matters on his own terms.

“He always had a lot of antics about him being excited,” Mr Seymour said. “He had a lot of talks in his mouth, and he just loved to be around his family.”

He stressed that while his uncle struggled with drugs, he was not mentally unstable and was street-smart. Morley often picked up odd jobs and, according to his nephew, routinely represented himself when he encountered legal trouble.

“He was normal,” Mr Seymour said. “He just was on drugs and just wanted to live how he wanted to live, so it wasn’t like we had to go on like ‘hey, we gotta go get him from walking the road acting crazy.’ He just was on drugs.”

Police are treating the matter as a death investigation as they continue to examine the circumstances surrounding the altercation.