Portsmouth man held without bail after allegedly killing landlord — what we know

A Portsmouth man is being held without bail after allegedly telling police he murdered his landlord Monday.

Jacob Morrill, 24, of 1722 West Main Road, was arraigned in Newport District Court on a single count of first-degree murder. A bail hearing has been scheduled for June 6.

Morrill, who did not enter a plea at Tuesday's arraignment, is accused of killing Xuefeng Wu of Tiverton, who owned the property Morrill lived in.

During the arraignment Tuesday, a prosecutor said Wu's family reported him missing to Tiverton Police on Monday after Wu went to the West Main Road address and did not return. Portsmouth police responded to the property to conduct a wellness check and questioned Morrill after failing to find Wu.

In a press conference following the arraignment on Tuesday, Portsmouth Police Chief Brian Peters explained Morrill initially told the officers conducting the wellness check that Wu had already departed for a scheduled court appearance. However, another member of Morrill's household called the Portsmouth Police later on Monday afternoon with information about Wu's whereabouts.

Morrill then called the Portsmouth police himself, allegedly admitting to the murder of Wu with a small handheld axe after an altercation in the garage, and surrendered himself to police custody without incident in the Mobil Gas Station parking lot at 1568 West Main Road. Police recovered Wu's body in the woods behind 1722 West Main Road based on information provided by Morrill.

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Morrill appeared in court Tuesday in a white jumpsuit with his wrists and ankles shackled, escorted by two officers.

According to court documents, Morrill and Wu were scheduled to appear in Newport District Court on Monday after Wu initiated eviction procedures against Morrill and his fellow leaseholder. The documents note Morrill and another tenant of the West Main Road home owed $1,450 in rent as of May 8. The monthly rent of the home was listed at $2,525.

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That hearing did not take place, as neither Morrill nor Wu appeared in court. Chief Peters said police were aware of the landlord-tenant relationship, but declined to speculate on any motive for the murder.

This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Portsmouth police charge Jacob Morrill with murder at West Main Road home