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Florida deputies solve cold case murder after new DNA evidence and witnesses emerge, police say
Marqui Newton was charged with first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm in the 2016 killing of Saadyar Johnson
VideoFlorida police arrest two suspects in AirTag abduction case
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer provides details on the case after detectives used an Apple AirTag found on the victims' vehicle to track down the suspects.
A long-stalled murder case has been solved a decade after a Tampa man was riddled with bullets outside an apartment complex, Florida deputies say.
Saadyar "Sy" Johnson, 36, was shot and killed on May 3, 2016, at the Del Rio Apartments on North 50th Street after deputies were flooded with 911 calls and a ShotSpotter alert for gunfire, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO).
Johnson was rushed to the hospital with multiple gunshot wounds but later died. His death was ruled a homicide, and no immediate arrests took place.
On May 20, 2026, detectives obtained an arrest warrant and charged Newton with felony first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm. (Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office)
Investigators believed Johnson had been targeted during an armed robbery and early leads pointed to Marqui Newton, now 34.
But despite suspicions, detectives said they did not have enough evidence at the time to charge him.
That changed after HCSO’s Cold Case Unit spent years chasing leads, reworking witness interviews and using new forensic testing.
The Tampa Police Department and Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office investigate a fatal shooting in the Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa, Florida, on Oct. 29, 2023. Two groups reportedly exchanged gunfire early Sunday morning in a busy area with bars and clubs. (Octavio Jones/Getty Images)
In 2025, investigators tracked down previously unknown witnesses and sat down again with people they had already interviewed.
Additional DNA testing, conducted with help from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, also helped push the cold case forward.
On May 20, 2026, detectives obtained a warrant charging Newton with felony first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm.
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Marqui Newton, 34, was charged with first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm in the 2016 killing of Saadyar Johnson. (Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office)
A day later, Newton was arrested in Brevard County with help from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force.
"No matter how much time passes, we will never stop seeking justice for victims and their families," Sheriff Chad Chronister said, calling the arrest the result of "years of relentless investigative work."
"We hope this arrest brings some measure of closure to those who have waited nearly a decade for answers," he said.
Newton remains in Brevard County pending transport back to Hillsborough County, where he will face the decade-old murder case.
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a U.S. Writer at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to sarah.rumpf@fox.com and on X @s_rumpfwhitten
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