A Fayetteville man has been charged with first-degree murder after a 75-year-old man was found dead on Owen Drive earlier this week, police say. Joseph Watts, 42, was arrested on Saturday, November 14, and is being held without bond at the Cumberland County Detention Center.

The charge follows the death of Rogers Melvin, 75, who was found unresponsive on Tuesday morning, November 10, and pronounced dead at the scene. The first-degree murder charge is an accusation: Watts is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Source: WRAL

A medical call on Tuesday morning

WRAL, citing Fayetteville police, reported that officers answered a medical call on Tuesday morning in the 1600 block of Owen Drive, where they found Melvin unresponsive. CBS 17 (WNCN), also citing investigators, reported that Melvin was found unresponsive behind an eye care center on Owen Drive at around 7 a.m. on Tuesday. Both stations agree he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Owen Drive is a commercial corridor in Fayetteville, the Cumberland County seat in southeastern North Carolina — a city of roughly 210,000 people, best known as the home of Fort Liberty, one of the largest U.S. Army installations in the world. Police have not said who made the medical call, and no house number has been released.

The arrest

On Saturday, police announced the arrest. WRAL named the man charged as Joseph Watts, 42, arrested that day and charged with first-degree murder. CBS 17 named him as Joseph Brian Watts and described the case as a homicide investigation; WRAL described it as a death investigation. Both stations reported that he is held without bond in the Cumberland County Detention Center.

WRAL reported that Watts is due to appear in court on Monday, November 16. A first appearance is a brief hearing at which the charge is formally read and bond is addressed; because he is already held without bond, the court would have to order a change for him to be released.

What police have not said

Neither report includes a cause of death, a motive, any relationship between Melvin and the man charged, or how investigators connected Watts to the death. Those gaps matter: on the public record so far, this is a charge built on an investigation the department has not yet described, and the evidence behind it has not been presented in court.

Under North Carolina law, first-degree murder is the state's most serious homicide charge, covering killings the state alleges were committed with malice, premeditation and deliberation, among other categories. A conviction can carry life imprisonment without parole, and in some cases the death penalty. Prosecutors must still prove every element beyond a reasonable doubt.

Police are asking for information

WRAL reported that anyone with information can contact Detective C. Cross at 472-210-2381, as printed by the station, or give an anonymous tip to Fayetteville/Cumberland County Crime Stoppers at 910-483-8477.

Source: CBS 17 (WNCN) via Triangle Local

What happens next

The case now moves into the Cumberland County court system, starting with Monday's appearance. Detectives say the investigation is continuing, and further details — including a cause of death — are expected to come through the court process and any further police releases. Awaaz Punjab will update this story as officials release more.