JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — New details in the murder of a man on Jacksonville’s Eastside, are included in an arrest report of a man arrested in connection to the crime.
Roderick Fields, 41, is charged with theft of a motor vehicle and is being held on a $250,000 bond.
The victim, who was doing renovations at a home on East 24th Street according to the report and co-workers, was found dead in that home Tuesday morning. His car, wallet and keys were missing.
According to the new report, "The victim was found tied up with an extension cord. Evidence of arson was abundant throughout the crime scene, including burns to the victim and burn and scorch marks on the walls throughout the home.”
The report says detectives used a technology called Vigilant License Plate Reader to retroactively search for the victim's car. The report says Fields was seen Saturday night -- the last day the victim's boss heard from him -- driving the victim's car. Police obtained video of Fields at an Exxon on North Main Street twice: once at 7:10 pm and again at 8:40 p.m. Officers said in the report he could be seen making a purchase and then filling a red gas can at the gas pump.
The report says an arson K-9 alerted to the presence of a fire accelerant in the home where the body was found.
The report says when officers located Fields Tuesday night, he had the keys to the house where the body was found, and "visible blood stains" on his shoes. Blood was also found throughout the driver's compartment of the car, the report said.
A friend said the victim's roommate called the victim's boss Tuesday morning because he had not returned home over the weekend. The boss then checked the home they were renovating and found him dead Tuesday morning.
The report said Fields did confess to stealing the car, but said his story changed several times. He has not been charged with murder. His next court date is September 21, 2022.
RELATED: Friends, coworkers of man found dead in Eastside home say he was always positive and reliable
According to records from the Florida Department of Corrections, Fields just got out of prison July 29, 2022 after serving nearly four years on cocaine sale, manufacture and deliver charges. He was in prison from Oct. 20, 2014-Aug. 2, 2016 on robbery and aggravated battery charges.
His extensive criminal history dates back to the 1990s and includes violent offenses. In his arrest report, Fields is listed as currently homeless.
JSO said Tuesday the body was in such a state when they responded to the home they couldn't initially identify if it was a man or a woman.
First Coast News has since independently confirmed the victim was a man. First Coast News isn't identifying him by name yet because it's not clear if all of his family has been notified of his death.
Friends of the victim also said he was a father and always reliable.
He was a registered nurse who recently moved back to Florida after living in North Carolina. They said his phone, car and wallet were missing Tuesday.
According to the incident report, first responders found the victim on the floor of the bathroom. The Medical Examiner's Office is working to determine a cause of death.
Property records say a private investment company based out of California owns the home. First Coast News has left a few messages and hasn't heard back.
