An Oklahoma man who had sex with his aunt in exchange for free rent shot and killed the woman between Sunday and Monday to put an end to the incestuous arrangement.
After 37-year-old Jeremy Sappington got divorced from his wife, he moved in with his mother's sister, Verna Sarten, 50, in Chouteau. Sarten also lived with her boyfriend, Gerald Howard, who was out of town for work during the shooting.
Sappington told authorities he wanted to end the situation, so he took a H&R .22 revolver hidden under the mattress of his aunt's bed and killed her. Reports said Sarten suffered a blunt force trauma to the head, as well as a gunshot wound.
Evidence suggests Sappington also tried to set the house on fire, as the oven was found partly open and on, and a stack of papers was found burned by a space heater.
When friends failed to reach Sarten by phone, a family friend with a key went to check up on her. He found her body undressed from the waist down on the floor next to the sofa, bleeding from the head.
It is not known when Sarten died, but it is believed that Sappington left the house after the shooting in Howard's black Dodge pickup truck. He went to his ex-wife's home where he pounded on the doors and windows. The police were called and Sappington was arrested on suspicion of public drunkenness.
In custody, Sappington, who has an extensive criminal background, confessed to killing his aunt. He has been charged with first-degree murder.
After 37-year-old Jeremy Sappington got divorced from his wife, he moved in with his mother's sister, Verna Sarten, 50, in Chouteau. Sarten also lived with her boyfriend, Gerald Howard, who was out of town for work during the shooting.
Sappington told authorities he wanted to end the situation, so he took a H&R .22 revolver hidden under the mattress of his aunt's bed and killed her. Reports said Sarten suffered a blunt force trauma to the head, as well as a gunshot wound.
Evidence suggests Sappington also tried to set the house on fire, as the oven was found partly open and on, and a stack of papers was found burned by a space heater.
When friends failed to reach Sarten by phone, a family friend with a key went to check up on her. He found her body undressed from the waist down on the floor next to the sofa, bleeding from the head.
It is not known when Sarten died, but it is believed that Sappington left the house after the shooting in Howard's black Dodge pickup truck. He went to his ex-wife's home where he pounded on the doors and windows. The police were called and Sappington was arrested on suspicion of public drunkenness.
In custody, Sappington, who has an extensive criminal background, confessed to killing his aunt. He has been charged with first-degree murder.
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