By Juliana A. Torres
Staff Writer

The man accused of killing 71-year-old Charles Kilpatrick was arrested Wednesday after he was pulled over for not wearing his seat belt in Marion County.

St. Cloud police have been looking for 27-year-old Christopher A. Shipley, accused of first-degree murder, armed robbery and grand theft auto, since last week, shortly after Kilpatrick was found dead in his St. Cloud home.

Detectives believed he might be driving in Kilpatrick's missing truck, a 1990 Dodge pickup with a Florida tag D396WG.

Marion County Sheriff's Office deputies stopped Shipley in Ocklawaha Wednesday because he wasn't wearing his seat belt. Shipley gave the deputy the vehicle's registration, which did not match the license plate attached to the truck.

The deputy ran the tag number on the registration and discovered the vehicle had been stolen out of St. Cloud. A records check on Shipley revealed that he was wanted for murder.

Shipley was transferred to the local Sheriff's Office, where St. Cloud police met him, questioned him and took him into custody.

Kilpatrick, a retired bus and truck driver from Pennsylvania, was found dead at his 800 California Ave. home in St. Cloud on the morning of Feb. 10. Kilpatrick, who formerly owned a small amusement park company, is survived by three children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He frequently helped out in the community, providing food and shelter to the less fortunate and was a member of Shriners International, police said.

Kilpatrick was renting rooms in his house to two people, Capt. Bret Dunn, of the St. Cloud Police Department, said. Shipley was one of those renters.

Shipley and 26-year-old Michael Corrales were at Kilpatrick’s house the evening before the victim was found dead. An argument broke out and Kilpatrick was struck in the head with a blunt object, police said. Corrales, also accused of murder, was arrested in Sanford, on the night of Feb. 10.