Crocodile Dundee in Detroit

Lottery millionaire charged in Detroit landlord's killing

Steve Pardo and Mike Wilkinson / / The Detroit News

Three months ago, Freddie Young became a lottery millionaire.

Today, the 62-year-old Detroiter is residing not in a luxury home but in a jail cell, accused of gunning down the owner of an apartment complex for evicting his daughter.

Young was one of 13 people in the P1 Gold Lottery Club — a group of postal workers and retirees who landed a $46.5million Mega Millions jackpot in February, Detroit police confirmed.

He allegedly confronted Greg McNicol, a 45-year-old Australian who was renovating a 10-unit apartment complex on Beniteau — not far from Young's home on Traverse. McNicol was arguing with Young's daughter, Ayana, 20, over nonpayment of rent.

Apartment resident Florida Benton said McNicol was more than a landlord — he was a person with a good heart who lived in the "worst apartment" in the complex while he made repairs on the other units.

She wonders why a newly minted millionaire would allegedly get so worked up over unpaid rent in a run-down complex.

"My question is: If (Young) had that type of money, what was his daughter still doing here?" Benton said. "It is just as easy to put someone in a new residence tomorrow as it is to come down here and shoot someone in cold blood."

Young faces a May 26 preliminary examination on charges of first-degree murder and using a firearm while committing a felony. He faces up to life in prison, without the possibility of parole, if convicted on the murder charge.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy issued a statement about the incident and McNicol.

"By all accounts, he was a landlord hoping to have a positive impact in the community," the prosecutor said. "This is extremely discouraging and I sincerely hope that this does not have a chilling effect for others who want to do business in the city of Detroit."

Suspect stayed in home, job

Young's lottery club members put in $10 a week each, participating for a dozen years before hitting it big.

Despite the win, Young stayed put. Records show he's lived in the same modest brick house, near the Coleman A. Young Municipal Airport and surrounded by overgrown lots and crumbling vacant structures, for the past 15 years. The ramshackle dwelling, with a deteriorating porch and long missing gutters, had an ominous sign on the door Tuesday warning everyone to stay away "except for the mailman." Recent property records indicate the house is worth about $15,000.

A woman who came out of the home declined to talk, and family members contacted by phone either declined comment or did not return calls.

Young also kept working at the priority mail processing center in Romulus. U.S. Postal Service spokesman Ed Moore said he's worked there for the past 13 years. But he apparently wasn't shy about spending his winnings on vehicles.

On March 15, about a month after winning the lottery, Young registered two new vehicles: a 2011 Chevrolet Corvette and a 2011 Chevrolet Avalanche, state records show. The least expensive Corvette starts at $49,000 and can run well into the $70,000 range. The Avalanche, a four-door pickup, starts at $36,000.

According to witnesses, Young pulled up to the complex on the day of the shooting in the Avalanche and opened fire.

'I'm so angry'

At a ceremony in Lansing on Feb. 4, representatives for Young's ticket group opted for the cash option of the $46.5 million prize. That translates to a split of $29 million before taxes. Lottery winners must pay 25 percent in federal taxes and 4.35 percent in state tax, explained Andi Brancato, a state lottery spokeswoman. Assuming an even cut, Young would still have netted $1.57 million — after taxes.

Meanwhile, McNicol, a native of Melbourne, Australia, lived in Palmdale, Calif., about 65 miles north of Los Angeles, with his wife, Katie Scartezini.

He decided to buy a complex in Detroit after falling in love with the city during a visit last year, Scartezini said.

He became a naturalized American citizen last year, said his next-door neighbor in Palmdale, Vivian Clark. "He was very proud of it," she said.

Clark said McNicol was friendly with neighbors as he worked to build his project management business. "He was always very wonderful to us," she said. The rents he charged were reasonable — $500 a month, lowered to $250 a month if a person lived in the unit while it was being renovated, Benton said.

Benton had lived in the complex only about a month, but she could see her new owner already was making improvements. He took care of faulty locks on her door when the former apartment caretaker wouldn't, she said. He was tearing out old toilets and installing cabinets he built himself.

"He was doing a great job," Benton said. "He wanted this to be a family building where people could just come and live. You don't have a lot, but you could have some decent housing."

Still, there was "an element" in the building, Benton said. People squatting in units were resistant to his changes, she added.

"He tried to work with them, but they had gotten used to living here for free," she said.

It's unclear if that was the situation with Young's daughter. On Tuesday, only two people were living in the complex — Benton and a friend, who declined comment.

McNicol wanted to convert a piece of land outside the complex into a picnic area for residents. There's a tree there he liked to sit against, wearing his "Crocodile Dundee Australia hat" and sip a beer, Benton said.

McNicol sometimes joined her and friends in her apartment to watch sports. She introduced him to mustard and turnip greens, candied yams and Jiffy brand cornbread.

"I enjoyed cooking for him and teaching him about the culture," Benton said.

When asked what she would say to the suspect, Benton said: "I pray for you and your family, but I'm so angry at you. He was trying to help the city of Detroit. He felt he could make a real investment in Detroit."

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110518/METRO01/105180370/Lottery-millionaire-charged-in-Detroit-landlord’s-killing-spent-money-on-cars#ixzz1Mipryf43