KINNEY

BELLAIRE — The man who alerted police to a murder in Bellaire on Sunday is now accused of committing the crime.

Police made an arrest late Tuesday in the shooting death of Brad McGarry, 43, at his Bellaire residence. David Carl Kinney, 30, of Brilliant is facing a murder charge with a gun specification.

“The gentleman who phoned 911 on Sunday and indicated that he had discovered the murder is the gentleman that we have arrested for the murder,” Belmont County Prosecutor Dan Fry said Wednesday. “We’re still investigating it, still trying to corroborate what he’s told us.”

If convicted, Kinney faces a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 15 years.

The gun specification carries three years, which would be served first, so Kinney could be behind bars for a minimum of 18 years if he is tried and found guilty.

“The investigation itself and what led us to Kinney was what I’d call good old-fashioned police work. It was the investigating officers talking to witnesses, neighbors, friends, etc., that’s what got us on to Mr. Kinney,” Fry added.

According to the prosecutor, Kinney gave investigators conflicting information about what had happened at the crime scene.

“We invited Mr. Kinney in to talk (Tuesday) afternoon. He came in voluntarily to the sheriff’s office. He gave us three or four different versions of what had happened, and each time he gave us what we believe to be an incorrect version,” Fry said. “We would tell him why it didn’t fit the narrative that we had. He eventually gave us a version that placed him in the home sometime Sunday afternoon.

“According to him, there was some type of altercation that occurred between him and the deceased — allegedly over monies stolen and possibly some type of romantic relationship between these two that had occurred in the past,” Fry continued. “At that point he indicated that a gun was pulled by the deceased. He felt in fear of his life, grabbed the weapon, shot the deceased, who fell to the floor, and after he fell to the floor he shot him again as he lay on the floor.

Fry said Kinney’s story doesn’t fit with the evidence, as an autopsy revealed that McGarry had two bullet wounds in the back of his head.

Fry said his office believes Kinney was at McGarry’s home Sunday afternoon and returned to Brilliant after killing McGarry.

“According to him, at some point near the sewage plant on Route 7 as he’s headed northbound he tossed the weapon out the passenger side window of his vehicle. We are currently searching for that weapon at this moment,” Fry said.

Several law enforcement officers were seen working along Ohio 7 near Interstate 470 on Wednesday afternoon. Bellaire Police Chief Mike Kovalyk was among them. An officer at the Bellaire police station confirmed they were searching for a possible murder weapon along the highway, but the officer did not say whether one was found.

Fry added that Kinney identified himself when he reported the discovery of the body. Fry said Kinney claimed he and family members had gone to McGarry’s home to drop off a weed trimmer, but when McGarry did not answer the door they entered, discovered the body and found the home in disarray.

“But it turns out (Kinney) had been at the home … unbeknownst to (McGarry’s family) three or four hours prior to that when the incident took place,” Fry said. “When they went in at 6 p.m., found the deceased, Mr. Kinney called 911 to report what they had found, but it turns out Mr. Kinney knew exactly what he was going to find when he walked into the home, given that he had been there three or four hours earlier.”

Fry added Kinney may appear in court for arraignment today.