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Arrest report reveals brutal nature of Dunedin murder

 
Arthur Michael DeCarvalho, 26, is accused of killing his 50-year-old boyfriend.
Arthur Michael DeCarvalho, 26, is accused of killing his 50-year-old boyfriend.
Published June 8, 2014

DUNEDIN — An arrest report released Sunday for a Kentucky man accused the day before of killing his new boyfriend paints a brutal picture of the crime.

According to the arrest report, Arthur Michael DeCarvalho told police he used rope to bind David Elsey, 50, in their bedroom, retrieved a hatchet from the couple's garage, returned and struck Elsey with it about 10 times.

DeCarvalho, 26, was arrested on one count of first-degree murder Saturday. He is being held without bail at the Pinellas County Jail.

The report paints a sharply contrasting picture with accounts provided by neighbors Saturday.

Next-door neighbor Patrick Martin told the Tampa Bay Times that DeCarvalho had met Elsey online, then moved into Elsey's well-kept home in the leafy Amberlea subdivision about a month ago.

Martin said Elsey had gushed that DeCarvalho was "the one," and other neighbors saw the couple happily gardening in their yard within the past two weeks.

The arrest report said DeCarvalho admitted to the killing during a routine traffic stop early Saturday on Clearwater Beach. Pinellas County Sheriff's deputies then performed a welfare check on Elsey's 1658 Summit Way home about 5 a.m. Saturday and discovered his body.

Authorities do not believe drugs, alcohol or mental illness played a factor, the report said.

A Pinellas County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman said Sunday that detectives had not released a theory about motive.

Keyonna Summers can be reached at ksummers@tampabay.com.