Homeless Brevard County man accused of killing grandmother, aunt to face judge

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A 41-year-old homeless man accused of killing his 84-year-old grandmother and his 61-year-old aunt Tuesday will face a Brevard County judge Wednesday afternoon.

Deputies said Marty Connell called 911 Tuesday to report that he had harmed two people during an argument in a home on Eucalyptus Place in the Cedar Lakes subdivision near Cocoa.

The bodies of Connell’s grandmother, Maxine Mills, and his aunt, Holly Crossman, were found inside the home, investigators said.

Connell told deputies he is homeless and had previously lived at the home with the victims.

“Connell, who claims to be currently homeless, was camping in the area of State Road 528 and Industry Drive,” said Tod Goodyear of the Brevard County Sheriff's Office.

"I have a problem. I killed a couple of people," Connell told a 911 dispatcher, according to an arrest affidavit.

Connell acknowledged that he used a hammer and said he'd prefer to talk to a lawyer, the report said.

Deputies said there was a history of domestic violence between Connell and Crossman, and an injunction of protection that was issued against Connell in 2011 was still valid.

Lorraine Haberger, 80, lives next door to the home.

"I was scared last night, because we didn't know if they had really got the fellow or not," she said. "I was scared. I didn't want to go to sleep."

Haberger said she was devastated to learn the news about her neighbor.

"She talked to me and she talked to my husband," she said. "We never had any bad sayings or words or anything like that. We were just good friends."

Connell is scheduled to face a judge at 1:15 p.m. on two counts of first-degree murder. He is being jailed without bail.

The deaths remain under investigation.

Anyone with information about the deaths is asked to call Brevard County Agent Wayne Simock at 321-633-8413 or Crimeline at 800-423-8477.

Cox Media Group