Detroit man charged after Facebook Marketplace sale ends with murder in Genesee County
Media updates helped catch Facebook marketplace murder suspect in Genesee County
A Detroit man is accused of killing a man in Fenton Township during a Facebook Marketplace sale. Minutes before a press briefing in July, police learned that the suspect was following news stories about the murder to see if investigators suspected that he was the killer.
FENTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (FOX 2) - A Detroit man didn't get rid of the evidence after authorities say he robbed and killed a man in Fenton Township earlier this month.
Omar Brogdon, 29, is charged with first-degree murder, felony murder, armed robbery, and three counts felony firearm stemming from the death of Orhan Hosic. He is being held without bond.
Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson said Brogdon traveled to Fenton Township on July 6 after talking to Hosic via Facebook Marketplace. Hosic was selling Camaro seats that Brogdon arranged to buy.
Omar Kashif Brogdon, 29
Around 3 p.m. that same day, a neighbor in the area of Jennings and Thompson roads reported hearing gunshots and seeing an orange Camaro backed into the driveway of a home.
When deputies arrived, they discovered that Hosic was dead and the car seats were missing.
Investigators determined that there was an argument over whether Mercedes or BMWs were better performing vehicles. That argument escalated to what Swanson called a "violent confrontation" that ended with four shots being fired and Hosic, who was unarmed, dead.
"This was very deliberate," Swanson said.
Swanson gave a press briefing after the crime, and says stories the media put out helped them find Brogdon.
"It was the power of the media right here that allowed this homicide at this address to be solved," he said Monday. "It's a fascinating turn of events."
Swanson said investigators had an idea of who committed the crime, but they didn't know where he was. Minutes before a press briefing on July 9, Swanson said his officer learned that Brogdon was following news stories about the murder to see if investigators suspected that he was the killer.
"I made the decision to use that time to speak to the killer," Swanson said.
During that press conference, Swanson told the media that his office didn't have leads.
"I wanted him to know that he could come out from the shadows," Swanson said. "We wanted to make sure that he wasn't going to leave, flee, or destroy evidence."
Throughout the course of the investigation, Hosic's phone was found near Telegraph and Grand River in Detroit. Investigators used that phone's location data as they worked to find Brogdon.
Eventually, investigators tracked Brogdon to a home in Dearborn, where he was arrested on July 23.
Swanson said multiple weapons were found in the home, including the suspected murder weapon. The Camaro was also parked in the garage with the stolen car seats inside. Swanson said the car had been wrapped in a new color.