RICHFIELD — A Monroe man facing murder charges in connection with the death of his 77-year-old father claimed the pair were assaulted following a traffic accident, according to charges filed in the case Friday.
William Lawton, 30, was charged with aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, in 6th District Court. His father, James Lawton, was found dead on the side of the road near Watts Mountain Road on July 17.
William Lawton contacted police around 2 a.m. reporting that "he and his father had been involved in a vehicle accident and that he and his father had been assaulted on the mountain," according to the charges.
In an interview, the man told police that his father was still on the mountain and took them to where the alleged assault took place. James Lawton's lifeless body was found at that location.
"Evidence at the scene showed James Lawton had been murdered," the charges state.
Police named William Lawton a person of interest in the case early on. Through an interview with Judy Lawton — William Lawton's mother and James Lawton's wife — police officers learned that the two men left Monroe together around 10:30 p.m. on July 16.
"She saw William when he came home a few hours after leaving with James and William had blood all over his hands and on his clothing," the charges state.
When shown a spool of contractor's twine similar to twine found at the scene, the woman said she saw a similar spool on the landing of her son's apartment the night before. Though the twine was not found at William Lawton's home, police said the man had injuries consistent with James Lawton's cause of death.
"Evidence at the scene showed no other assailants and William's injuries do not support his story of assault by unknown assailants," the charges state.
An autopsy revealed a number of injuries that indicated James Lawton's death was not an accident, but a homicide. It also showed that some of the man's injuries were inflicted even after his death with a number of different weapons.
According to the charges, William has a "history of violence against the victim including a 2010 assault conviction." There was also evidence of a "current dispute" between the father and son.
William Lawton is being held on $1 million bond. He has an initial court appearance scheduled for July 26.
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