Police are not releasing the identity of a 22-year-old gay man found murdered in his home in Carrollton on Friday.
Officer Jon Stovall confirmed the death is under investigation as murder. Stovall said Monday morning he didn’t know whether the victim had been positively identified or, if so, whether the family had been notified.
The victim’s body was discovered by his housemate, Tony Adams, at the residence they shared in the 2100 block of Placid Drive. Adams is active in Dallas theater and did sound and lighting for the Metropolitan Community Church of Greater Dallas, a predominantly gay congregation. Adams discovered the body when he came home from work.
Part of the confusion about the victim’s identity may be related to the fact that he acted under a stage name that he sometimes went by off stage as well.
Both Adams and the victim attended MCC of Greater Dallas. The Rev. Colleen Darraugh, pastor of MCC of Greater Dallas, said there was blood everywhere in the house.
“Evidently it was a brutal beating,” Darraugh said, adding that she thinks knives may have been involved.
In an email to her congregation Darraugh identified the victim only as “Shawn” and requested help “to assist Tony [Adams] with the expenses associated with the crime scene clean-up and replacement of clothing and home furnishings that were damaged or destroyed.”
Read the full email below.
This email comes with sad news and an opportunity to help with a special need.
Tony Adams Schmidt is a friend and colleague who some of you know through his work on sound and lighting at Metropolitan Community Church of Greater Dallas and others know through his acting, directing, sound and lighting work in community theatre.
We regret to share with you that Tony’s housemate, Shawn – whom many of you also know – was brutally killed in their home. The police are actively investigating to apprehend the culprits and to find the motive for this extreme violence.
We share in grief at the death of Shawn and pray for his family and all of his friends.
We surround Tony with love and support, praying for him as he deals with his grief and the shock of finding such a horrific scene.
A practical way of expressing our love and support is to donate to a fund to assist Tony with the expenses associated with the crime scene clean-up and replacement of clothing and home furnishings that were damaged or destroyed. Our church invites you to give online through our Benevolence Fund and we will direct 100% of your donation to this effort.
Simply CLICK HERE TO DONATE. If you have not given online to us previously, you will be asked to set up an account with your name, email address and a password of your choosing. If you have been here before, login with your user name or email registered with church and your password.
When you get to the Give Now screen enter the amount you want to donate and select “Benevolence” as the Fund. (The scroll bar to choose the fund is way to the right although the listing is on the left.) You can enter Tony’s name in the description. We will be watching for Benevolence donations during this time period and will direct them to assist Tony. You will receive an automated receipt for your gift. Should you have any questions, feel free to email office@mccgd.org.
Thank you for your compassion, your prayers and your expressions of love. Please feel free to share this email with others who may know Tony and would want to support him. Thank you again!
Sincerely,
MCC of Greater Dallas
