A second person has been arrested in the 2020 death of a University of South Florida St. Petersburg student who was killed during a home invasion near campus.
Cekwon Kenyette Heath was indicted on first-degree murder by a Pinellas grand jury in February and was arrested Sunday in connection with the death of 22-year-old Owen Melin. Joshua Pilley Jr., now 22, has also been charged in Melin’s death and is scheduled to go on trial in August. Pilley was arrested about two weeks after Melin’s death.
St. Petersburg police received a call around 10:07 p.m. on May 27, 2020, reporting that a man had been shot at an apartment in the 400 block of 4th Avenue S. When police arrived, Melin was found dead in the apartment, he reported. court records.
A witness told police he and two other men were outside the apartment when Pilley approached them. Pilley asked to see a man who lived in the apartment with Melin and who was inside. Pilley then left and returned with two other men, according to court records.
While leaning against a nearby vehicle, Pilley pulled out a modified rifle and ordered the three witnesses to the ground, police said. Authorities later found Pilley’s handprint on the vehicle.
After unsuccessfully trying to get into the apartment, Pilley asked one of the witnesses for the door code and entered with Heath, according to court records.
Witnesses heard gunshots coming from inside and saw Pilley and Heath run from the apartment, records show.
Joshua Pilley Jr., 19, is accused of shooting and killing Owen Melin, 22, during a home invasion in May 2020. [ St. Petersburg Police Department ]
Shortly after the shooting, police also interviewed the man who was inside the apartment with Melin. She told police she was in the bathroom when two suspects entered the apartment. One of the suspects held him at gunpoint and took his money and cellphone before fleeing, the witness said. The witness did not identify the suspect, however.
In January, the witness came forward and told police he had more information about what happened. He identified Heath as the suspect who held him at gunpoint and said he had sold marijuana to Heath in the past. She said Heath also took marijuana from her during the home invasion, records show.
A confidential informant gave the phone numbers of Heath and Pilley to police, which they used to track down the two suspects on the night of the shooting. The phone’s location data showed Pilley and Heath in the area of the apartment that night. They then moved to another location, consistent with where the confidential informant told police the two men had gone after the shooting, according to court records.
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Heath and Pilley also posted a Facebook Live video shortly after the shooting. In the video, Heath can be seen carrying bags of marijuana and “a cartridge with distinctive markings” that appeared similar to the cartridges found in the apartment, according to court records.
Police said the investigation is ongoing and they are still seeking information on anyone who may have been involved, but declined to provide further details.
