Woman saddened by neighbor's killing

47-year-old found dead in home early Sunday morning

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Barbara Balevre is used to seeing her neighbor walking his dog Roxy, washing his truck and going to and coming from work.

Now she looks across the street at a truck parked in front of his Northside home with the door kicked in, crime scene tape across the frame, and a sign in the yard seeking information.

"He was my friend," Balevre said of 47-year-old Bryan Edwards, who was found dead in his home early Sunday morning. "He was a sweetheart, and why anyone would do this to him? I don't know."

Police are investigating the killing.

It was just after midnight, and family members couldn't reach Edwards, so they contacted police to do a wellness check.

When patrol officers got inside the home on Carthage Drive, they found Edwards dead.

"The person who did this is nothing but a coward, to me, to go in there and hurt such a sweet man," Balevre said.

She said Edwards never bothered anyone, only helped others. She said he fixed her air conditioning unit a couple of times when it broke down during a summer scorcher, and refused to let her pay him, only asking her to watch his house and dog when he was out of town.

Now Balevre is left heartbroken, knowing her friend is never coming back home.

"I'm angry. I'm angry because I don't know why," she said. "It's a quiet neighborhood. Why would anybody go in there and harm such a gentle man?"

Anyone with any information about Edwards' killing is asked to call the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500 or Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS.