GREENVILLE, OH — A man was fatally stabbed with a sword-like weapon in a Greenville apartment complex last week, leading to the arrest of 37-year-old Matthew Earl McKnight, who remains in custody at the Darke County Jail.
The victim, Kyle Brown, a homeless man known to residents in the neighborhood, was reportedly asking for a cigarette on November 16 when the incident occurred. Greenville Police Chief Ryan Benge confirmed that Brown and McKnight were acquainted but declined to comment on any prior disputes or the motive behind the attack.
Neighbors said Brown was a familiar figure in the area, often spending time under a local bridge or with residents who provided him temporary respite. “I would sit with him so he had someplace to go during the day,” said Sheila Horne, a resident of the Walnut Street apartment block, speaking to WHIO.
According to Horne, Brown approached McKnight’s apartment after asking her for a cigarette, and the confrontation turned deadly. “That guy just took some kind of a sword, samurai sword, and stabbed him,” Horne said. She also recounted a prior incident where McKnight allegedly pulled a knife on her during a similar request for a cigarette, describing him as “very mentally ill.”
Police arrested McKnight at the scene after he reportedly threatened another tenant’s guest. Brown was flown to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, where he was pronounced dead. Detectives are now investigating McKnight’s history at the apartment complex, seeking records of prior complaints or violent incidents.