Brevard County

Man stabbed, killed during altercation in Cocoa, police say

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A Cocoa man is accused of murder after police say he intervened in an argument Wednesday that left a neighbor dead.

Cocoa Police said they received multiple calls just before 10 p.m. about an argument between neighbors on Ridge Drive in the Cocoa Bay mobile home community.

Robert Arthur, 42, was stabbed to death during the altercation, police said.

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The suspect in the case, 43-year-old Frederick Cottrell, witnessed the fight and intervened.

Investigators say things escalated into a physical confrontation between the victim and suspect ensued.

The suspect told police he believed Arthur had a firearm, but police said none were found. However, Cottrell was carrying a knife, according to police.

“It escalated to the point where the suspect stabbed him multiple times in the chest, in the stomach area and in the neck, which is the one we believe was the fatal wound,” Cocoa police public information officer Yvonne Martinez said.

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Police said Cottrell walked past an officer who had been dispatched to the scene but never flagged him down. Witnesses later identified Cottrell as the suspect.

On Thursday, prosecutors ask that he be held without bond. According to court records, Cottrell has previous arrests for battery and aggravated assault.

“The only motive we have is that his intent was go there in defense of a neighbor,” Martinez said.


Adam Poulisse, WFTV.com

Adam Poulisse joined WFTV in November 2019.