Marquelle Drymon, 22, left, has been charged with the murder of Joshua Monroe, 31, over 15 months after he was shot and killed. For over a year, detectives have been searching for a culprit in a Gulfport homicide. On Friday, October 5, they arrested and charged his friend for murder.
Detectives with the Gulfport Police Department made an arrest in the July 4, 2017 homicide of Joshua Monroe. Marquelle Drymon, 22, of St. Petersburg was charged with second-degree murder 15 months and one day after Monroe’s death, according to deputies.
The suspect and the victim were known to each other as friends, but also as drug dealer and buyer.
“He was not a suspect from the beginning,” said Sgt. Thomas Woodman, Gulfport’s Public Information Officer.
The two met for a drug transaction on July 4, 2017, which led to a physical altercation. At approximately 10:35 p.m., Drymon shot Monroe multiple times in the 2600 block of Miriam Street S, according to police.
Sgt. Woodman confirms that the reason for the physical dispute is known but is being held for court purposes.
Deputies confirm that the victim was transported to Bayfront Medical Center as a trauma alert where he later died from his injuries.
Drymon was transported to the Pinellas County Jail at 2 p.m., on Friday. According to Sgt. Woodman, bail has been set at $150,000.
“It was a non-associated incident,” said Sgt. Woodman, and “shouldn’t be of any concern to people in the area.”
