DETROIT – Police are investigating the deaths of three men—Norman Hamlin, 66, William Barrett, 72, and Mark Barnett, 65—who were found beaten with hammers and stabbed in a home.
The original missing person call that brought police to the scene was for Hamlin, the homeowner.
Authorities believe the killings occurred Tuesday (Feb. 17) night or early Wednesday morning.
The victims were discovered in a basement area, with some covered in old, dirty clothing and one wrapped in a carpet.
Neighbors remember Hamlin as a good man who struggled with drug addiction.
He served in the Marine Corps and fought in the first Iraq War.
Police have not confirmed whether the killings are drug-related, but acknowledged that drug activity was occurring in the home.
Hamlin’s friend Joel Bond said, “He got sidetracked on some things. He went into the military, served his country, and it’s just a tragedy as to what happened, it really is.”
Bond added, “He seemed to have set up a safe environment for people to come over and use [drugs] at the house. And of course, as we know, that’s dangerous. You don’t know who’s coming into your house.”
“I grew up on the streets. I know what a drug house looks like, and people that are users, I know what it looks like. So, from an outside perspective, I do understand that it was, it was a place where people would come and use drugs and whatnot,” Bond said.
He continued, “And so that was happening, and myself and other neighbors had the understanding that this cannot stand, this won’t last. Something bad is going to happen, you know? And apparently it did.”
Detroit police Assistant Chief Charles Fitzgerald said, “We believe at this point, they all met the fate of blunt force trauma. There were some stab wounds on a couple of them. They were left in a basement area covered in old, dirty clothing, and one person was covered in a carpet.”