Man arrested for driving car of man found dead in home under construction, Jacksonville police say

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Loved ones have confirmed with Action News Jax the man tragically found dead inside of an Eastside home was Marc Tilly.

“He was a good person, very friendly,” a friend said. “Just an all-around cool person.”

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According to court records, he was a contractor doing renovations at the home where he was killed. On Tuesday, investigators found him tied up with an extension cord along with fire burns on him and the walls throughout the home. The report says his boss last heard from him on August 27.

“Nobody deserves to die that way, especially to be burned beyond recognition,” the friend said.

Tilly’s fiancé told Action News Jax that he was incredibly sincere and honest.

A friend who wanted to remain anonymous said she knew him through work.

“He created a pantry inside of a home for me we did an add-on inside of a house and he created a pantry area, like he built it from scratch,” she said.

Related: Body found in home under construction on the Eastside

Since the murder, police say Roderick Fields has been arrested for auto theft and accused of driving the victim’s car.

Security footage Action News Jax got from a neighbor shows the Ford Flex listed in the report on August 27, nearly 50 minutes later it’s gone.

Investigators said the car was stolen and started tracking it down through license plate readers. The first time they got a hit was on August 27, and then they found it again on August 30 when they saw Fields and detained him.

After searching Fields police found a pair of shoes from him that had blood on them. It also said he admitted to being in the car with an unidentified man. It should be noted Fields is only charged with auto theft.

The friend told us that Tilly will be missed.

“They didn’t just take a friend they took a father, a brother a son, a fiancé. They took someone good in the community,” she said.

Court records also show Fields has a lengthy criminal history including drug-related charges and robbery. The Department of Corrections website shows he was recently released from jail on July 29th.

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