FORT LAUDERDALE — Nearly four months after an elderly couple was found shot to death in their Fort Lauderdale home and their car stolen from their driveway, police said a man who was in a relationship with one of the couple’s granddaughters was the person who took the car.

Claudette, 85, and her husband Major Melvin, 89, were found shot in their chests on March 22 by a relative, who has special needs and lived with them in the 600 block of Southwest 30th Terrace, according to an arrest warrant. Detectives released photos of their red 2014 Ford Fusion and said at a news conference in April that it was imperative they find it. Little other information was released at the time and in the months since.

While not charged in relation to the murders, Maurice Anthony Newson, 30, of Davie, was arrested on a warrant in May in Fort Lauderdale for grand theft auto and dealing in stolen property, Broward County court records show.

Newson is accused of selling the car to a tow truck company in Wilton Manors for $200 the same evening that the couple was found dead, according to the warrant.

Newson “had been coming around the home following the homicide ‘acting strange’ and asking a lot of questions about what detectives were saying about the investigation,” family members told detectives, the warrant said.

Newson’s attorney did not respond to an email seeking comment Wednesday evening. He could not be reached by phone after business hours. Court records show Newson was released from jail after posting bail and pleaded not guilty in late June.

“This is an ongoing investigation and detectives are working diligently to determine Newson’s involvement, if any, in the murders,” Fort Lauderdale Police spokesperson Casey Liening said. “We encourage anyone with information regarding this incident to contact police immediately. Broward Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for any information leading to an arrest.”

Details of shooting emerge

The Melvins’ names are almost entirely redacted in the warrant, though it is clear they are the victims and the warrant is connected to their case.

Claudette Melvin was found lying on her back near their dining room table with a gunshot in her left chest and a 9mm bullet casing near her foot, the arrest warrant said. Major Melvin was found in the living room lying on his stomach and a 9mm casing in his shirt near his stomach.

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