Lauderdale By The Sea Man Charged With Murder
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FT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - A Lauderdale by the Sea man accused of strangling another man will be spending Christmas in jail
A judge ordered Bryan Crumpton be held without bond on a charge of second degree murder
Detectives said he strangled Terrence Eder on December 1st outside his office on the second floor of a building located at 800 west Oakland Park Boulevard.
Eder was taken to Holy Cross Hospital where Carroll told medical personnel that he had been choked. Eder died at the hospital on December 6th.
Sheriff's investigators said it happened during a dispute over money.
Jeffrey Carroll, a friend of Eder, said when he went to get his paycheck from his work, he got into an argument with Crumpton who owns the business, according to Crumpton's arrest report. When he went downstairs and told Eder he didn't get paid, Eder reportedly went into the building to confront Crumpton.
Crumpton, 33, and one of his employees, Samuel Sorrells, told investigators the Eder was intoxicated and belligerent. Crumpton said he argued with Eder and then the man left, according to the report. A short time later, he said, Eder was discovered unresponsive on the floor of a hallway.
Sorrells said he was in his office and heard Crumpton and Eder arguing. He told investigators when he went out to look, Eder was unresponsive on the floor.
Both men denied getting in a physical altercation with Eder, according to the report.
The Medical Examiner's Office determined the cause of death was "manual strangulation."
According to Crumpton's arrest report, when Carroll went back into the building he found Crumpton and Sorrells downstairs.
"Carroll stated Crumpton swung a fist at him and stated 'bringing your (expletive) collector to get your money, we choked his ass out.' Carroll stated he then went upstairs and found Eder unresponsive on the floor of the hallway."
During a second round of questioning, Sorrells told investigators that after Crumpton ordered Eder out of the building, he "escorted" out of the building. As he was leaving, Sorrells said he flicked a lit cigarette at a female employee and then ran down the hallway. Sorrells said he then heard a "thumping" sound and that's when he found Eder on the ground.
During his second interview, Crumpton allegedly denied choking Eder but did admit to placing his hands on the man as he escorted him out of the building.
At one point, according to arrest report, Eder was on the ground with his arms wrapped around Crumpton's legs and "Crumpton assisted Eder to stand up."
Due to the inconsistency in his statements, a warrant was issued for Crumpton's arrest.
Crumpton's attorney, Jim Lewis, says he is confident his client will be cleared because "there is no surveillance only eyewitness accounts. We think he fell and broke his neck."
