UPDATE: Sutton jailed on murder charge

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - UPDATED: With information on charges, investigation and background on the case.

Police arrested a Terre Haute man Monday in connection with the death of his disabled brother earlier this year.

Byron Sutton, 46, faces felony charges of Murder and Failure to Give Notice of a Violent or Suspicious Death.

The charges are the latest development in a strange case that dates back to March 20, 2012, when a worker at Dreiser Square Apartments entered an apartment that managers believed had been abandoned. The worker reported entering the apartment, finding an overwhelming odor, and noticing several maggots near a box in the apartment.

After turning an air conditioner on and leaving the apartment for a day, the worker returned March 21, moved the box surrounded by insects, and found the body of a man inside.

Investigators identified the body in the box as that of the apartment’s resident, Guy Sutton. An autopsy found that Guy Sutton had died of a gunshot wound to the head and that he had been dead for about one month.

As police investigated, neighbors in the apartment complex told them they had seen Guy Sutton’s brother Byron Sutton coming and going from the apartment in the days immediately before the body was found, according to court documents. Police also reported finding a handgun, a duffel bag and several personal grooming items.

When speaking with police, Byron Sutton told investigators he was homeless and had stopped at the apartment to shower and also opened mail belonging to his brother. He also told them he may have touched the handgun found in the apartment while tried to sell him the weapon.

In the days that followed, investigators also examined financial statements for Guy Sutton and reported finding evidence that Byron Sutton used Guy Sutton’s bank card after his death.

Byron Sutton was arrested on March 28 and charged with several felonies, including nine counts of forgery and two counts of Receiving Stolen Property. Under a plea agreement with prosecutors, Sutton pleaded guilty to Receiving Stolen Property and was sentenced to a three year sentence with one year executed and two years suspended.

Meanwhile, police continued to investigate Guy Sutton’s death. According to court documents, investigators sent the handgun from the apartment to the Indiana State Police Lab for DNA analysis, along with a blood-stained cigarette pack from Byron Sutton’s car, along with several other items.

The lab reported that a swab from the hammer of the revolver showed DNA consistent with Byron Sutton, while a cutting from the blood-stained cigarette pack in Byron Sutton’s car tested matched a DNA profile for Guy Sutton.

On September 21, authorities issued a warrant for Byron Sutton’s arrest, and officials say he was arrested Monday in Seelyville, Ind.

He is being held without bond in the Vigo County Jail.

• Sutton pleads guilty in March case
   
• Decomposing body found in closet