Key witness in 2016 double-murder died of natural causes, preliminary autopsy report shows

Preliminary autopsy results confirm that a key witness in the case against Dwayne Cummings and Ahmad Dunbar for the January 2016 slayings of Karl Tuxford and Jordan Finlon died of natural causes.

On Jan. 19, 2016, Bradenton police were called to the 1100 block of Eighth Avenue East to reports of a shooting and found Tuxford in his Jeep shot dead. The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office was called to Bishop Harbor Road in northern Manatee County less than an hour later after motorists spotted a body along the side of the road, later identified to be that of Finlon.

Fredrick “Freddie” Douglas, 44, had initially been identified as a suspect in the murders along with Dwayne Edward Cummings, 40. Arrested two days after the slayings, Cummings was charged with both murders but Douglas was only questioned. Douglas was arrested on an unrelated domestic battery charge, however, but later released on bond.

A grand jury indicted Cummings of two counts of first-degree murder, armed kidnapping and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Another suspect, Ahmad Leon Dunbar, 39, was later identified and charged with second-degree murder with a firearm in Tuxford’s death, but has not been charged in Finlon’s death.

Douglas was among the key witnesses scheduled to testify against both men but died last month.

Homicide Detective Jeffrey Bliss with the sheriff’s office has previously testified that Douglas gave them an emotional statement about the murders.

“He said it was so brutal he couldn’t really look at it, he had to turn away,” Bliss said during the hearing. “She was making some whimpering noises, gasping for air, and it was a friend of his so he couldn’t really watch.”

Cummings is scheduled to go to trial during the two-week trial period that begins Sept. 11. Dunbar is scheduled to go to trial during the two-week trial period that begins Nov. 13.

This story was originally published June 13, 2017 at 6:33 PM with the headline "Key witness in 2016 double-murder died of natural causes, preliminary autopsy report shows."