Docs: Apache Junction man killed next-door neighbor after receiving eviction notice

APACHE JUNCTION, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — New court documents reveal that an Apache Junction man planned Sunday’s deadly shooting of his next-door neighbor for weeks after he received a notice he was being evicted. The new court paperwork released on Monday says there was a history of fights between 73-year-old William Porter and 66-year-old Fredrick Bevington near Ironwood and Fourth Avenue, which is south of Apache Trail. Police say Bevington was the new property manager as of last week. According to police, Porter decided to shoot Bevington on Sunday because Bevington didn’t park his truck in the driveway, which blocked Porter’s view of the outside table where Bevington was eventually shot.

According to police, Porter shot and killed Bevington in the head at his home around 1:15 p.m. and intended to kill Bevington’s girlfriend but that didn’t happen. When police arrived, Porter was in his own home next door and wouldn’t come out. At around 2:30 p.m., he asked if Bevington was dead and police told him firefighters were checking on him, court paperwork said. Porter then responded that he hoped Bevington was dead, investigators said.

Two shots came from inside the home where Porter was holed up, officers said. Eventually, the police convinced Porter to come out and he was arrested. He was taken to the hospital to get checked out before he was booked into jail on one count of first-degree murder. His bond was set at $500,000.

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