Cape Coral man accused of stabbing roommate, went to Waffle House then called 911, court records show

Stacey Henson | The News-Press

A man accused of stabbing his roommate told police he followed the slaying by going to Waffle House and leaving a large tip, court records indicate.

According to the arrest affidavit filed by Cape Coral Police Department, Cullen Roe, 24, told them he argued with Kody Scott Detling, 25, before stabbing him in the chest and head, killing him Tuesday.

Roe identified himself on a call to 911 about 2:15 a.m., telling dispatchers he stabbed his roommate two hours earlier. When police arrived at the pair's Van Loon Commons apartment, they found Roe sitting outside the residence and Detling in the living room, the knife embedded in his head.

Previously: Man arrested in roommate's slaying

According to the affidavit, Roe waived his Miranda rights and told them the pair met in rehab and had been roommates for about three months. He said Detling had been making "sly" remarks about money and food, and their arguments had escalated over the weekend.

Detling refused to take him to work, and in the ensuing argument, he also accused Roe of stealing things from his bedroom.

Roe said he went to his room, grabbed a knife and stabbed Detling, who was lying on the sofa, in the chest. Detling struggled, and Roe put him in a headlock when the knife fell out of his chest.

Roe said he "figured he better just end it," and stabbed Detling in the head.

Roe told officers he changed clothing and drove Detling's truck to 7-Eleven to buy cigarettes. He returned to the apartment before deciding he was hungry. He then went to the Waffle House and ate breakfast.

"He paid for the meal and left a large tip because he knew he was going to jail and would not need the money," the affidavit reads. He returned to the apartment and called 911 on Detling's phone.

Officers asked Roe if he would do things differently if he had a chance.

"I don't know," Roe said, according to the affidavit, saying he began thinking about killing Detling the previous week.

He remained jailed Friday on second-degree murder charges with no bond. He is expected in court Sept. 11.

The homicide is one of three Cape Coral slayings in the past three weeks.

On July 31, Cape Coral police arrested Gerald Koller, 49, after neighbors reported hearing a fight followed by a series of shots in his Cape Harbour neighborhood. He is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Jonathan Breadmore, 28, of North Fort Myers.

Related: Man accused in Cape Coral fatal shooting: 'I'm crazy. Just lock me up'

On July 23, Carmela McEachern, 54, and James McEachern, 48, were found dead in their living room at their home in the 2000 block of NW Fifth Street.

Police said they are investigating their deaths as a murder/suicide.

Related: Cape Coral police: Couple's death investigated as murder-suicide