(Whaleyville, MD) – Maryland State Police homicide investigators have charged a Delaware man in connection with the murder of Nicole Bennett who was found dead in Worcester County last month.
The accused is identified as Matthew Burton, 28, of the 30,000 block of Power Plant Road in Dagsboro, Delaware. Burton is charged with first and second degree murder. He is being held at the Sussex Correctional Institution in Georgetown, Delaware pending an extradition hearing.
The victim, Nicole Bennett, 35, of the 33,000 block of Windswept Drive in Millsboro, Delaware, was found deceased on the morning of June 15, 2012, in an embankment off of Swamp Road in Worcester County. An autopsy conducted at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore determined Bennett was murdered and had been asphyxiated. Autopsy evidence also indicated she was already dead when her body was left in the embankment off of the dirt road.
Shortly before 9:00 a.m. on June 15, 2012, Worcester Central received a 9-1-1 call reporting the body of the deceased victim in an embankment off of Swamp Road, a dirt road east of Nelson Road. The caller told police he was in the area walking when he noticed the woman’s body.
During the course of the initial investigation, police learned Bennett was the subject of a missing person’s case being investigated by the Delaware State Police. One hour before she was found, Bennett’s husband had called 9-1-1 reporting her missing. She had not returned home from a church in Gumboro, Delaware, where she was reportedly working late.
Delaware State Police responded to the church and found Bennett’s vehicle parked on the lot. It was locked with her personal belongings inside. Police learned Bennett had been alone inside the church with a custodian, identified as Burton. Burton was subsequently located and interviewed by investigators.
State Police homicide investigators executed search warrants and processed the homes and vehicles of both Bennett and Burton. Several interviews were conducted with numerous family members, friends, co-workers and acquaintances. Investigators sought video surveillance footage from area businesses and from the church which is located approximately six miles from where Bennett was found. Anyone with information was asked to call the Worcester County Lower Shore Crime Solvers.
DNA evidence gathered by crime scene technicians from the Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division connected Burton to the crime. After consultation with the Worcester County State’s Attorney, an arrest warrant was obtained.
At approximately 7:15 p.m. this evening, the U.S. Marshal’s Task Force, a warrant apprehension team, located Burton driving on Route 1 near the town of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Burton was apprehended on a subsequent traffic stop and taken into police custody.
Investigators have not yet confirmed the scene of the initial crime. A motive for the murder remains unclear at this time.
Investigators with the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation, deputies from the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, Delaware State Police and the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit responded to the scene. Crime scene technicians from the Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division and crime scene technicians from the Delaware State Police responded to gather and analyze evidence. The Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Wicomico County Bureau of Investigation, and the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation also assisted with the investigation.
The investigation is continuing.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Did this church do any kind of background check on the custodian prior to his being hired? This is a horrible tragedy that might have been prevented had the church been more careful in its hiring practices!
ReplyDeleteI'm curious how this works, she was from Delaware, the suspect was from Delaware, she was abducted in Delaware, and it's quite possible the murder occurred in Delaware. But because the body was dumped in Maryland then the state of Maryland does the prosecution? Is that always the case? Or is that something the two states worked out between them? Or, perhaps, Delaware can also try him there too?
ReplyDeleteI hope some other prisoner takes care of the slime-ball and saves the taxpayers the cost of feeding, sheltering, and clothing him for years and years to come.
I hope some other prisoner takes care of the slime-ball and saves the taxpayers the cost of feeding, sheltering, and clothing him for years and years to come.
ReplyDeleteJuly 7, 2012 9:00 PM
Don't you want him to be CONVICTED first?
Now while you are wishing someone else commit murder, remember this.
The method and means you use to condemn someone, those very methods and means will be used to judge you.
Can you afford that?
2:14 you must be his mom or family member. If you can find anything good about this then I think you are a piece of s--- also. He is an animal that deserves the worse.
ReplyDeleteThis story is enough for me,,,kill this guy fast!
ReplyDeleteThe church is partially responsible. This is a shame. In MD he will get off with slapped hands. Our SO's are whimps. And, so is our court system and liberal governor. If found guilty, he should die.
ReplyDelete