A decade-long mystery surrounding a murder case has finally been unraveled, bringing closure to a tragic incident where a Tampa resident was gunned down outside an apartment complex, as reported by Florida deputies.
On May 3, 2016, 36-year-old Saadyar “Sy” Johnson was fatally shot at the Del Rio Apartments located on North 50th Street. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) responded swiftly to a barrage of 911 calls and a ShotSpotter alert indicating gunfire in the area.
Despite being rushed to the hospital with multiple gunshot wounds, Johnson succumbed to his injuries. His death was officially declared a homicide, yet no arrests were made immediately following the incident.
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Fast forward to May 20, 2026, when detectives acquired an arrest warrant, charging Marqui Newton, now 34, with felony first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm. (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office)
Investigators had long suspected that Johnson was the victim of a targeted armed robbery, with early evidence implicating Newton as the primary suspect.
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But despite suspicions, detectives said they did not have enough evidence at the time to charge him.
That changed after HCSO’s Cold Case Unit spent years chasing leads, reworking witness interviews and using new forensic testing.
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The Tampa Police Department and Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office investigate a fatal shooting in the Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa, Florida, on Oct. 29, 2023. Two groups reportedly exchanged gunfire early Sunday morning in a busy area with bars and clubs. (Octavio Jones/Getty Images)
In 2025, investigators tracked down previously unknown witnesses and sat down again with people they had already interviewed.
Additional DNA testing, conducted with help from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, also helped push the cold case forward.
On May 20, 2026, detectives obtained a warrant charging Newton with felony first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm.
Marqui Newton, 34, was charged with first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm in the 2016 killing of Saadyar Johnson. (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office)
A day later, Newton was arrested in Brevard County with help from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force.
“No matter how much time passes, we will never stop seeking justice for victims and their families,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said, calling the arrest the result of “years of relentless investigative work.”
“We hope this arrest brings some measure of closure to those who have waited nearly a decade for answers,” he said.
Newton remains in Brevard County pending transport back to Hillsborough County, where he will face the decade-old murder case.
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