BSO, Crime, Murder, Tragedy

DNA Identifies Suspect In 2010 Oakland Park Murder

A little over 12 years ago, on August 30, 2010, at approximately 11:53pm, BSO responded to a suspicious incident call on the 1300 block of NE 34th Street in Oakland Park. When the deputies arrived on site they met the caller. He had stopped by the residence at the behest of the victim’s domestic partner to check in on the victim. The caller peered through the window and saw the victim lying face down in a pool of blood and immediately dialed 911.

When BSO deputies entered the residence they found 31 year old, Alfred “Chad” McMurray, bound and shot execution style. Detectives recovered an RP-Luger 9mm shell casing and partially fragmented bullet at the residence. They also collected DNA and fingerprints from the residence and the victim’s body. Specifically, a DNA profile was obtained from underneath the victim’s fingernails and entered into CODIS, but, at the time, no match was found.

During the investigation, Deputies ascertained that McMurray’s silver 2006 Toyota Tacoma was missing from the residence along with a number of personal items including his wallet, a Nintendo Wii, Apple laptop, and iPhone. The next day the missing vehicle was found, abandoned, at an apartment complex in Lauderhill.

As detectives dug deeper into the occurrence they learned that McMurray, a transplant from North Carolina, was an aspiring chef that struggled with a drug problem. In July 2010 McMurray met John Navarro, a gay porn model and resident of Royal Park Condos in Oakland Park, through the internet. Phone records reveal that Navarro had texted him three different times in the early morning hours of August 30, 2010 and made a series of calls around 12:38PM that same day, a little less than 12 hours before BSO found him shot to death in his home.

Detectives questioned Navarro, and he provided a DNA sample but it was not a match. He did mention his boyfriend and roommate at the time, Aaron Michael Dobbins, during the original investigation, even saying he had sent a picture of McMurray’s car to Dobbins on the night in question and that he, the victim, Dobbins and another unidentified black male had engaged in group sex at their Oakland Park condo. However, the Affidavit to Arrest filed with Broward County, does mention Dobbins being questioned as part of the original investigation. His involvement only became clear when nearly 12 years later CODIS matched his DNA to that found at the crime scene.

A Decade Later, A Suspect Arrested

In May of 2022, Detective John Curcio, a homicide detective with BSO was advised that a match had been found to the DNA profile found under McMurray’s fingernails. They matched the DNA profile for Aaron Michael Dobbins, a resident of Tampa, Florida.

Curcio was able to determine that Dobbins had lived in Oakland Park from 2010 to 2015 with Navarro at Royal Park. According to Navarro’s 2010 statement his visits to McMurray’s house caused an argument between him and Dobbins. Despite the argument, that was the day Navarro, Dobbins, the victim and other unidentified male, engaged in group sex at their home in Oakland Park. When he was questioned in 2022, Navarro denied he and Dobbins ever participated in group sex because Dobbins was very jealous.

He noted that Dobbins had a drug addition and that would go on benders for days. During his benders he would seek out men for sexual encounters. Navarro also stated that during their relationship Dobbins had taken things and cash from him. Their relationship ended in 2014, but Dobbins when interviewed by Curcio during the search warrant to confirm the DNA match, he said he still regularly texted Navarro. In his 2022 interview, Navarro, refuted that claim stating that he had not heard from Dobbins in years, in fact, he had only heard from him recently. Curcio determined Dobbins had contacted Navarro soon after Curcio had served his search warrant and interviewed Dobbins about the occurrence.

Navarro said that during that last call with Dobbins, he stated that he had been interviewed about McMurray’s murder but if he was involved in it, he could not remember. He said that the victim had been restrained and had his head blown off. Curcio states in the arrest record that he told Dobbins McMurray had been restrained, but had not mentioned where he had been shot. Soon after Navarro’s 2022 interview with Curcio, Dobbins changed his phone number.

Alleged Murderer in Jail

DNA swabs collected during the search warrant confirmed that the DNA collected at the murder scene was Dobbins. Curcio filed for an arrest warrant on September 7, 2022 and Dobbins was arrested in Hillsborough County on September 22, 2022. On September 23, 2022 he was booked into Broward County jail. He is currently being held at Broward County Jail with no bond on first degree murder charges.

While Dobbins awaits his trial, the friends and family of McMurray may, perhaps, find some comfort in the fact that the man who, allegedly, took their loved one away too soon may pay for what he did.

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Desiree Avila

EDITOR, PUBLISHER, WRITER, PHOTOGRAPHER, REALTOR®

Désirée Ávila has called Oakland Park her home for over 33 years. In addition to publishing LivingInOaklandPark.com, Désirée has been featured in print publications, locally and abroad. Désirée was an award winning teacher for 10 years and has a doctoral level education in Educational Technology. She is currently a licensed Florida Realtor® and is committed to a high-level of professionalism.

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