Montgomery County man charged with first-degree murder

Authorities in Montgomery County have arrested and charged a man with the weekend murder of a Norristown man.

Norristown Police arrested Michael Bell, 34, and charged him with murder and other charges related to the homicide of Leroy McCray, 42.

Police say the incident happened around 8 p.m. on Saturday, September 23 at Riverside Apartments in Norristown.

A joint investigation by the Montgomery County Detective Bureau and Norristown Municipal Police Department revealed that Bell and McCray had a verbal altercation that ended with Bell hitting McCray multiple times with a carpentry hammer.

An autopsy determined the cause of death was multiple blunt force trauma to the head, and the manner of death was ruled homicide.

Bell is being held at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility without bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 6, 2017.