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Hollywood Man Accused Of Beating Friend To Death With Bat

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HOLLYWOOD (CBSMiami) - A Hollywood man accused of beating a friend to death made his first appearance before a judge on Wednesday.

Jesse Mitchell, 31, has been charged with one count of premeditated murder.

"The court notes the suspect stated that he killed his friend Ray with a baseball bat," said Judge Kimberly Theresa Mollica after reading over Mitchell's arrest report.

On Monday, April 16th, Mitchell called the police and told them he had killed someone. When officers arrived he told them he had killed his friend at his apartment on Oregon Street.

"He called 911, he told the 911 dispatcher that he injured his friend, possibly killed his friend," said Officer Christian Lata.

On that call, he admitted to it, telling the 911 dispatcher, "I hurt my friend and he's dead." Then going on to say, "I hit him with a baseball bat."

When police checked the apartment Mitchell shares with his girlfriend, they found a male body and Mitchell was taken into custody.

Detectives spent Wednesday looking closely at the mattress. Investigators say Mitchell told them he stuffed the body in a duffle bag, put a bag over the victim's head and shoved him under the bed.

"It's a little scary, a little freaky that somebody that you actually talk to and stuff to be capable of doing that. It's scary," said neighbor Van Daughtrey.

People who live in Mitchell's complex say he's been there just a few months, but in that short time became known to everyone because he would have loud arguments.

Hollywood crime scene investigators have spent two full days carefully, combing through the apartment searching for evidence.

"Clothes, briefcases, suitcases, chairs, all their garbage, everything. They haven't left anything in that room I don't believe," said Daughtrey.

Mitchell will not be released any time soon. He's being held in the Broward County jail with no bond.

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