JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Moultrie man has confessed to a 17-year-old homicide in Jacksonville.

An online report by GateHouse Media Florida, published by the Lakeland, Fla., Ledger, said Kenny Lee Maxwell, 41, walked up to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office front desk and described a confrontation he had with Richard Ottis Morrison on Jan. 29, 2002.

Morrison, 57, was found dead about 10 a.m. that day in his room at the Palms Hotel on North Market Street, according to the original 2002 report.

“The investigation determined a physical altercation occurred and some of the victim’s property was missing,” sheriff’s Lt. Craig Waldrip told GateHouse Media Florida. “The next day the medical examiner determined death was a strangulation and it was ruled a homicide. No suspects were identified at the time and the case went cold.”
The two men knew each other, the sheriff’s office said. Maxwell’s arrest report lists him as being from Moultrie, Ga.
Waldrup said such a walk-in confession is “very, very rare,” but no indication was given as to why Maxwell came forward.
Waldrup said the case is still active as they re-interview witnesses and see if anyone else was involved in the robbery, while Morrison’s family was contacted and is happy with the arrest.