‘He didn’t deserve this’: Foul play suspected in death of 79-year-old man

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Homicide detectives are investigating after a man found his 79-year-old brother dead Monday morning inside a west Charlotte apartment.

Police said Curtis Ford was found dead just after 9 a.m. inside an apartment on Spring Forest Drive.

Initially, officers were not investigating Ford's death as a homicide, but later said they suspect foul play.

Officials determined Ford died from stab wounds on his head and neck.

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Ford would sit on his front porch and would greet his neighbors with a smile, his friend, Tariq Dean, said.

“If you lived around here, you knew Mr. Ford,” Dean said. “He made sure he talked to you, he made sure. He was that type of person, nice and polite.”

“What I can tell you is he was a beloved member of the community,” CMPD Lt. Bryan Crum said. “We know that a lot of people would stop by and talk with him, and we need to talk with those people.”

Crum said police do not believe Ford was robbed and with no signs of a break-in, it is likely that he opened the door for his killer.

“He didn't deserve this,” Dean said. “He was a good person.”

Dean now lives on another side of town, but he drove to Ford’s home Wednesday to remember his friend.

“Mr. Ford, sitting on that porch, telling me, ‘Hello,’” Dean said. “The way he did with his great spirit, and I'm going to remain to see that. I'm going to remain to see that, because he was such a good person. I'm not going to see him any other way.”

It was Charlotte's 96th homicide of 2019.

No additional information has been released.

Check back with wsoctv.com for updates.

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Cox Media Group