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South Carolina Man Sees Upgraded Murder Charge In Case Of Woman Found Dead In Plastic Tub
The night Celia Sweeney was murdered, phone records allegedly show that Mark Walton walked the number of steps it takes to get from his apartment to hers.
A new suspect has been charged with murder in the case of a 28-year-old woman found beaten to death and stuffed into a plastic tub.
Celia Sweeney was last seen alive the evening of Feb. 28 outside her home in Charleston, South Carolina, according to a police report obtained by Oxygen.com.
Mark Walton and Buddy Carr were allegedly seen with her that night. Surveillance footage the next morning recorded Carr’s pickup truck driving with a “large black container” in its bed, according to police.
After Sweeney stopped responding to phone calls, investigators entered her home and discovered “a significant amount of blood.”
They also found Carr’s truck parked near a wooded area, with an allegedly bloody claw hammer and latex gloves inside.
About 20 yards into the woods, police found Sweeney’s brutalized body inside a plastic tub. They believe she likely died of blunt force trauma to the head.
Investigators also discovered Carr dead in his house, apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Meanwhile, Walton was arrested and charged with accessory after the fact to felony.
However in light of new evidence, Walton's charges have been upgraded to murder. Cellphone records show that Walton walked 496 steps between 3:03 a.m. and 3:12 a.m. on Feb. 29. This is approximately the distance between his and Sweeney’s apartment, according to an recent affidavit obtained by local news station WCBD News 2.
Investigators also say they found a pair of American flag cowboy boots with blood on them inside Walton’s apartment. These boots match the ones Walton was wearing the night of Sweeney’s death, according to surveillance footage referenced in the affidavit.
Walton is being held without bond on charges of murder, according to inmate search records. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney able to comment on his behalf.
