The Broderick McGhee case: a shot in the back, in his own shop, with his brother nearby.
At about 10:37 p.m. on Saturday, March 16, 2013, Hamilton police and fire crews were called to MKM Custom Motors at 1133 Central Avenue and found Broderick McGhee, 35, dead from a gunshot wound in the office. No one has been charged.
Case file at a glance
The public record is thin: an Attorney General listing, an early news report that he was shot in the back, and a podcast description saying his brother was with him but could not see the killer's face. Relatives told the podcast they believe he was targeted. Police have not confirmed a motive.
- Shot in his own shop.He was found in the office of his auto business, dead from a gunshot wound.
- A witness who did not see.The Crime Vault description says his brother was with him but could not see the killer's face.
- Shot in the back.A Dayton Daily News report said he was shot in the back.
- Targeted, per family.Relatives believe he was targeted. Police have not confirmed a motive.
Editorial assessment of public sources, not a finding of fact. Nobody named here has been charged unless this page says so.
What happened
Details come from the Ohio Attorney General listing (case 1347) and short news summaries. The business name appears as MKM Custom Motors and MKM McGhee's Kustom Motors.
The call
Hamilton Police and Fire respond to MKM Custom Motors at 1133 Central Avenue after a report that someone had been shot.
The discovery
McGhee, 35, is found in the office, dead from a gunshot wound. A Dayton Daily News report says he was shot in the back.
A brother nearby
The FOX19 Crime Vault description says his brother was with him but could not see the killer's face. The sources we read do not say where in the building he was. -Maybe
Crime Vault episode
FOX19's podcast revisits the case and says his murderer has not been identified.
Victims
A father of four who built his own business.
Photo: Ohio Attorney General, unsolved-homicide listing. The source states no reuse license; shown at the site owner's direction. Contact us to have it removed.
DiedBroderick McGhee, 35
Born in December 1977. According to the Crime Vault description, he was a father of four who built his own auto business in Hamilton.
The photo of Broderick McGhee is from the Ohio Attorney General's listing and is credited under it. Where a card shows a silhouette, we found no photo. Anyone who wants a photo added, changed, or removed can use the contact form at the bottom of this page.
Evidence
What exists, and what each piece may or may not mean.
| Item | What is known | Disputed or unknown |
|---|---|---|
| The shooting | One fatal gunshot wound; he was shot in the back, per Dayton Daily News. | Caliber and number of shots: not public. |
| The scene | The office of the auto shop on Central Avenue. | Forensic findings: not public. |
| The witness | His brother was with him, per the podcast description. | What he saw or heard: not public beyond that he did not see the face. |
| Motive | None confirmed. The family believes he was targeted. | Police have not commented in the sources we read. |
Public documents
The state listing is the main public record.
| Document | Holder | What it shows | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broderick Statez McGhee, case 1347 | Ohio Attorney General | State listing. | Online, free |
| Hamilton Police case file | Hamilton Police Department | The investigation. | Withheld or sealed |
Access labels: Online, free = we could open it. Fan-hosted copy = a private researcher posted scans; originals are held by the named agency, and we cannot vouch for completeness. Quoted in news = reporters read it; we did not see the document itself. Request needed = held by an agency or court. Withheld = the holder has not released it. We cannot reach non-public records, and we do not try to.
Online discussion (unverified)
Where people talk about this case online, and how to read it.
| Platform | Live search | What you tend to find |
|---|---|---|
| Google: Reddit | site:reddit.com search | Public Reddit threads that Google has indexed, including old discussions. |
| Google: X and Twitter | X and Twitter posts | Public posts and profiles that appear in search results. |
| Google: Facebook | Public Facebook pages and posts | Only public pages and groups that Google can see. Private groups never appear. |
| Google: Instagram and TikTok | Instagram and TikTok | Public posts, memorials, and videos. |
| Google: forums | Forums and message boards | Long-running true-crime forums. |
| Google News | Latest news | Newest reporting, which is usually more reliable than posts. |
| Search Reddit | Long discussion threads and theories, often by amateur researchers. No sign-in needed to read. | |
| X (Twitter) | Search X | Short posts, news links, and anniversary notes. May require sign-in. |
| Search Facebook | Public groups and family or community pages. Requires sign-in. | |
| Search #broderickmcghee | Memorial and true-crime posts. Requires sign-in. | |
| YouTube | Search YouTube | Documentaries, news clips, and interviews. Quality varies widely. |
Be careful with online theories. Naming a private person as a suspect can harm an innocent family, and many "identifications" on forums have been wrong. Our own tools could not read these platforms: Reddit blocks automated access, and the others require an account. The Google searches above work from your browser. To get new public mentions by email, make a free Google Alert for the case name in quotation marks.
Coverage timeline and verification
What local and national reports say, and when we last checked for a solution.
Status is re-checked on a regular schedule. If you know of a development we missed, use the clue form near the top of this page or the contact form, and include a link.
Suspects
There is no publicly named suspect.
The shooter
Why named: Someone who entered or was inside the shop office and shot him.
Against: No description, name, or vehicle is public.
Where a card shows a silhouette, we found no photo. Anyone who wants a photo added, changed, or removed can use the contact form at the bottom of this page.
Latest lead: the brother's account and the Crime Vault revisit
The only recent coverage is a podcast episode. It adds no new evidence we could read.
What is known
- He was shot in the office of his business at about 10:37 p.m.
- His brother was with him and did not see the killer's face.
- Relatives believe he was targeted.
What would settle it
- Re-interview the brother and anyone near Central Avenue that night.
- Pull business records and customers or disputes around March 2013.
- Look for cameras on or near the 1100 block of Central Avenue.
A targeted shooting tied to his business or a personal dispute
We put the chance that the attack was targeted rather than a random robbery at roughly 65%, based on the family's belief and the shooting inside the office. We put the chance of a solution within five years at roughly 10%.
Editorial judgment, not statistics.
Elimination matrix
"—" means no public information, not a clean result.
| Person or idea | At the scene | Physical link | Legal outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| The shooter (unidentified) | ✓ inferred | — none published | — unidentified |
| Robbery | ? not stated | — | — |
| Targeted by someone who knew him | ? family belief | — | — |
✗ excluded or contradicted · ✓ supports · ? disputed · — nothing public. No cell is an official finding.
Our hypothesis
Editorial reading of public records. A working theory, not a finding, and it names no individual.
A targeted shooting at closing time
- It happened inside. He was shot in the office, not on the street.
- His brother was near. The shooter acted with another person close by.
- The shot was from behind. A shot in the back suggests surprise.
- The business is the context. Customers, debts, and rivals are all untested in public.
Judgment, not statistics.
Missing links
Questions raised by gaps in the public record.
1. The brother's account
What he heard, how the killer left, and what police asked him.
2. The shop's customers
Anyone with a dispute or unpaid work.
3. The weapon
The caliber and any link to other shootings.
4. Neighborhood cameras
Any video from Central Avenue.
5. Time and access
Whether the door was locked and who had keys.
6. The 2025 revisit
Whether the podcast produced tips police are following.
Evidence gaps
"Not public" means we could not find a report.
| Item | Tested | Gap |
|---|---|---|
| Autopsy | Done by the Butler County Coroner. | Not public. |
| Scene evidence | Collected by Hamilton Police. | Results: not public. |
| Police file | Held by Hamilton Police. | Public index: not available. |
Forensic tech
| Tool | What it could do | Status here |
|---|---|---|
| DNA from retained evidence | Identify a donor or exclude people. | Unknown; not reported |
| Forensic genetic genealogy | Identify an unknown donor from relatives. | Needs usable DNA; none reported |
| Ballistics database (NIBIN) | Link recovered casings or bullets to other crimes. | Not reported |
Solved cases
Local cases that moved after decades.
Carol Sue Klaber (Boone County, KY, 1976)
Investigators say a private genealogy investigation helped them identify Thomas Dunaway, who died in 1990, as the man who killed the 16-year-old. He cannot be indicted, so prosecutors sent a letter saying he would have been charged. The lesson: genealogy can name a killer after decades, even when no trial is possible.
Forensic genetic genealogy training
In 2024, local investigators were being trained in the technique, which has already helped solve Cincinnati-area cases, according to FOX19. The lesson: the tool is now local, so cases with usable DNA have a real path forward.
Golden State Killer
Old crime-scene DNA matched relatives in a public database and led to a 2018 arrest. The lesson: a usable sample can still work after decades.
Case details come from public news coverage and the Boone County Sheriff's cold-case list. Confirm in court records.
False leads
| Claim | Source and date | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|
| It was a robbery | Common assumption in shop shootings | No source we read says anything was stolen. |
| Business name | Various | Sources use MKM Custom Motors and MKM McGhee's Kustom Motors. |
| Podcast theories | Crime Vault | We could not read the episode text. |
Where
The shop was at 1133 Central Avenue in Hamilton, Butler County, Ohio, about 25 miles north of Cincinnati.
Open in maps: 1133 Central Avenue, Hamilton. We show no photograph of the scene.
Source ratings
| Source | Type | Rating | Use with care because |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio Attorney General listing, case 1347 | Agency | A | Brief. States the call and scene only. |
| Dayton Daily News, March 2013 | Regional news | B+ | Seen in search results; not opened in full. |
| FOX19 Crime Vault description | Podcast summary | B- | Episode text not read; relatives' belief is not a police finding. |
Records
Hamilton Police Department
Lead agency. A 2013 report listed 513-868-5811 ext. 2001; please confirm before calling.
Butler County Prosecutor and Coroner
Charging decisions and autopsy.
Ohio Attorney General (BCI)
The state's unsolved-homicide listing, case 1347.
Sample public-records request
Under the Ohio Public Records Act, I request copies of non-exempt records relating to the March 16, 2013 homicide of Broderick McGhee at 1133 Central Avenue, Hamilton, including incident reports, laboratory reports, and any evidence inventory. Please send electronic copies. If any part is withheld, please identify the exemption relied on and release all reasonably segregable material.
Agencies often withhold records of open investigations, so expect partial answers.
Remembering the victims
Broderick was 35 and a father of four.
News & databases
In the news
Loading headlines…
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from one of these. Where they disagree, we say so above.
- Broderick Statez McGhee, Unsolved Homicide, case 1347, Ohio Attorney General (date, address, scene; opened).
- Case Unsolved: Father of Four Gunned Down in Auto Shop in 2013, FOX19 Crime Vault (episode description seen in search results; not played).
- Hamilton shooting victim dies, Dayton Daily News (seen in search results; not opened).
This file rests on a short state listing and two summaries we did not read in full. The brother's role, the family's belief, and the shot to the back are as reported. The 2025 date for the Crime Vault episode is inferred from the series; confirm it. We found no arrest.
Change log
- Oct 8, 2026: File published.