DNA and Phone Records Link Suspect to 2019 Riviera Beach K*llng, Detectives Say

By Palm beach & Broward Mugshots

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Nearly seven years after a 22-year-old man was fatally sh0t in Riviera Beach, detectives have outlined a case against Robert Rashad Pettway & Damien Dwayne King citing DNA evidence, surveillance footage and telephone records they say connect him to an attempted armed robbery.

A probable cause affidavit sworn September 23, 2026, identifies Pettway, 38, as the suspected g*nman in the October 16, 2019 m*rder of Kevin Ulysse. The document seeks charges of first-degree m*rder, attempted robbery with a f!rearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Officers responding around 4:42 p.m. found Ulysse unresponsive in the roadway along West 7th Street, near Avenue H. He never made it to the hospital.

Investigators allege Ulysse had just completed a transaction for substances with Damien Dwayne King when another man confronted him nearby. Surveillance footage reportedly captured a struggle in which the suspect reached toward Ulysse’s pockets or waist. Doorbell audio recorded repeated demands to “give it up,” according to the affidavit.

Witnesses described the suspect firing a sh0t before running west and turning onto Avenue I. One witness reported seeing the fleeing man enter the passenger side of a waiting vehicle.

Detectives focused on a black Chevrolet Monte Carlo driven by King. They say surveillance showed the vehicle repeatedly moving through the area before the sh00ting, contradicting portions of King’s initial account.

According to the affidavit, King first denied knowing the suspect, later acknowledged driving him away and eventually conceded that he had probably dropped him off before the confrontation. King denied pulling the trigger and disputed responsibility for the sh00ting.

Investigators reported finding Pettway’s DNA on the Monte Carlo’s interior passenger-side door handle.

Telephone records provided another connection, detectives said. A number investigators linked to Pettway called King immediately before the m8rder. Although the prepaid account was registered under another name, detectives say a probation or parole document independently listed that number as Pettway’s.

The affidavit also describes a May 2025 interview in which an acquaintance confirmed knowing both men and said they had an existing association.

King narrowed his selection to two photographs but could not decide which man was the suspect. Detectives say the DNA evidence, video footage, phone records and witness statements gave them enough evidence to seek charges against Pettway.

Detectives also cited a March 2015 felony conviction as the basis for the f*rearm-possession allegation.

All charges and allegations are accusations, not findings of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.