Tampa man charged in roommate's murder

TAMPA -- Police got two calls from the Eden Apartments this morning. The first time, a man wanted his roommate kicked out. The second time, a man was dead after an argument over cigarettes, police say.

Now, Billy Schderrell Locke, 30, has been arrested, accused of fatally strangling his roommate, Rick Lamar Ming, 43.

It all started about 5:50 a.m., when police responded to the 28-unit complex at 3712 W Cass St. after they received a 911 call from a man saying he wanted his roommate to leave. But because there were no injuries involved and both men were on the apartment lease, the responding police officers left, said Andrea Davis, a spokeswoman for Tampa police.

Two hours later, police received a second 911 call from the apartment. This time Locke man said his roommate was dead. He said he and his roommate were arguing over cigarettes when he put Ming in a choke hold and thought he was dead, Tampa police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said.

At the scene, police confirmed that he was.

Police records show this isn't the first time Locke has been accused of violence against Ming. On Nov. 13, Locke was arrested after Ming told police Locke choked him following a dispute about money.

At the time, Ming told police he and Locke were in a romantic relationship. Locke, however, told police he isn't homosexual.

Tim Flaherty, landlord, said Ming moved in about six months ago, and he was first on the lease. He wanted to add Locke to the lease and introduced him as his "caregiver."

Flaherty described the older man as "crippled" and said he had been shot a few years ago.

"When somebody tells me that, I don't ask," said Flaherty of Bay Area Management and Consulting, who oversees the complex, which is near Borders south of Interstate 275.

He said his only interaction with the men consisted of picking up rent and fixing things in the apartment. The unit was spotless, he said.

"What happens behind closed doors, we don't know," he said. "They were great tenants. Quiet. It's always the quiet ones."

Locke is charged with second-degree murder, police said.

Rebecca Catalanello and Luis Perez, Times Staff Writers

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