2 Men Arrested In 2006 Beating Death

MUNCIE, Ind. -- Police said Friday they'd found the men who bound, gagged and beat a Muncie man to death inside his home more than two years ago.

Christopher Wilfong, 34, of Gas City, and Michael W. Johnson, 34, of Noblesville, were arrested on Friday in connection with the March 2006 slaying of Tim Rees, 51, police said.

Rees and his girlfriend were bound and gagged by two men who then ransacked and robbed the home, police said.

Rees' girlfriend suffered only minor injuries, but Rees was transported to Ball Memorial Hospital, where he died hours after the attack.

Wilfong and Johnson were each preliminarily charged with felony murder, burglary with serious bodily injury, robbery resulting in serious bodily injury, two counts of confinement and theft.

"The suspects weren't all from Muncie, Delaware County," said Delaware County Prosecutor Mark McKinney. "They had contact both in Madison County, in Hamilton County, up in Kokomo. So we received bits and pieces of information."

Police said someone had tipped Wilfong and Johnson that Rees had a safe. Rees' mother, Marjorie Rees, said $18,000 was stolen from the safe -- money Rees had collected from six rental properties.

"There's no way we can replace him, but it does give me some closure," she said.

Wilfong was held Friday without bond at the Delaware County Jail. Johnson is already incarcerated in two other robberies.