Inset: Rudy Minton (Columbus Police Department). Background: The area near where Minton allegedly killed his landlord in Columbus, Ind. (Google Maps).
An Indiana man is behind bars after killing his octogenarian landlord over a rent dispute, police in the Hoosier State say.
Rudy Minton, 49, stands accused of one preliminary charge of murder over the death of 89-year-old Jerrell “Jerry” McCullough, according to a press release issued by the Columbus Police Department.
The investigation began on July 21. That night, police were called to a duplex on Pearl Street in Columbus – a medium-sized city located some 50 miles due north of Indianapolis – for a welfare check.
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Responding officers spoke with Minton and, while looking into McCullough’s welfare, found “a deceased person inside” the defendant’s residence, according to police. The Bartholomew County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as McCullough.
Minton was taken into custody and later charged with murder.
The welfare check request had come from McCullough’s son after he noticed his father’s Honda CR-V was parked outside and unlocked, which was “abnormal for him,” according to court documents obtained by Indianapolis-based Fox affiliate WXIN.
The son approached the residence and found Minton at the door, police said. The defendant then allegedly refused to let the son inside, so the younger McCullough called 911 – and then alerted the defendant that law enforcement were on their way.
Police included a timeline of telltale evidence.
The welfare request came at 8:37 p.m. that night, police said. Officers arrived at the Pearl Street duplex around 8:43 p.m. Then, Minton allegedly made a Facebook post around 8:58 p.m. that read, “Look everybody, I’m sorry. You’ll find out soon enough.”
As for the responding officers, Minton allegedly first told police he “drank bleach,” according to the charging document. Later, he said he “swallowed bleach” at least twice more, police said.
Eventually, the defendant said his landlord was in a trash can, according to law enforcement. That’s when he was detained.
Inside the defendant’s residence, police found blood and McCullough face down inside a trash tote, authorities allege. The victim appeared to have suffered “significant trauma to the head and face,” according to the court documents. Minton, for his part, had blood spatter on his glasses as well as scratches and bruises on his body, police said.
When investigators asked Minton what had happened, the defendant allegedly said, “I just thought I could pull it off, I’m sorry.”
Minton also appeared to be in possession of McCullough’s keys and other items that belonged to his landlord, police said.
At the hospital, while detectives were checking for gunshot residue, Minton said there “was no gun involved,” according to the charging document. Then, while being taken to jail, Minton allegedly told an officer, “Sometimes not despicable people do despicable things” and “If you pray, please pray for me.”
The victim’s son later told police Minton was facing eviction. Court documents had already been filed in that effort at the time of the killing, according to local NBC affiliate WTHR.
The defendant is being detained in the Bartholomew County Jail without bond.
The post ‘Thought I could pull it off’: Man facing eviction put his landlord’s body head-first in a garbage tote and started chugging bleach, police say first appeared on Law & Crime.
