PORTSMOUTH RHODE ISLAND, A Portsmouth man has been found guilty on multiple charges in connection with the death of his landlord.
According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office, a Newport County Grand Jury previously indicted 25-year-old Jacob Morrill on one count of first-degree murder, one count of driving a vehicle without the consent of the owner or lessee, and one count of fraudulent use of a credit card totaling more than $100.
Court records indicate that Morrill was found guilty Monday. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 27.
At approximately 4:30 p.m. on May 22, 2023, the Tiverton Police Department contacted the Portsmouth Police Department requesting a well-being check on 50-year-old Xue Feng Wu. Wu had reportedly left his residence in Tiverton earlier that day to check on his rental property at 1722 West Main Road in Portsmouth and had not been heard from.
Portsmouth officers responded to the property and spoke with Morrill, who was renting the residence. Morrill told officers that Wu had been at the property earlier and had left to attend court in Providence. Officers initially cleared the scene without further information.
At approximately 6:00 p.m., Portsmouth police received a call from an individual reporting information related to a possible crime at the same address. Officers returned to 1722 West Main Road to investigate.
Around 6:10 p.m., Morrill contacted police and told a desk officer that he had struck and killed Wu. He stated he would meet officers behind a Mobil gas station located at 1568 West Main Road. Officers located Morrill at that location and took him into custody.
Morrill provided information to investigators about the incident and the location of the victim’s body. Officers discovered Wu’s body along a wooded pathway behind the property. The body had been wrapped in a tarp and weighed down with fencing material and other debris. Authorities confirmed the victim was deceased and observed severe head injuries.
The Portsmouth Police Detective Division launched a formal investigation, which determined that a confrontation had taken place inside a garage on the property. Investigators concluded that Wu was struck in the head with a small handheld axe during the altercation. The suspect then moved the body to the wooded area where it was later found.
Detectives executed court-authorized search warrants and recovered multiple items of evidentiary value, including the suspected weapon.
