Man Accused Of Cutting Off Woman’s Finger, Tattoos And Keeping Her Nude Body In A Barrel Is Indicted On Murder Charge

An Ohio man accused of cutting off a woman’s fingers and tattoos and keeping her nude body in a barrel was indicted Wednesday on a murder charge.

William Slaton, 35, was arrested in late June after a caller tipped off police about a dead body allegedly being kept at the man’s home, according to a press release by the Middletown, Ohio Police Department. 

Cecily Cornett, 21, had met Slaton online while Slaton was trying to arrange a threesome, Middletown Det. Ken Mynhier testified in court, according to Ohio outlet WKRC. Slaton told investigators he woke up one morning after using drugs to find Cornett's hanged body in his basement, Mynhier testified. Slaton allegedly confessed to then using a cigar cutter to slice off all ten of the woman's fingers and a razor blade to remove two or three of her tattoos, Mynhier said.

Slaton also allegedly confessed to keeping the woman’s body in his basement for several days before stuffing it into a metal drum, according to court documents obtained by Ohio station WLWT.

When police arrived confronted Slaton at his house, he went into his back yard and threw the barrel over his fence, authorities said. Police recovered the barrel and discovered Cornett’s nude body inside, covered in flies and apparently dead for around five days, WKRC reports.

Slaton was arrested and police searched the house, where they allegedly discovered a bowl containing human fingers and patches of tattooed skin, WLWT reports.

Cornett’s cause of death has not yet been released, a spokesman for the Butler County Coroner’s Office told Oxygen.com. Slaton told police that the woman hanged herself from a water line, according to a search warrant affidavit obtained by the Dayton Daily News. However, witnesses indicated to authorities that Slaton had strangled Cornett to death, according to court documents cited by the newspaper.

Slaton has previously been indicted on 12 child pornography charges, according to court documents uploaded by the Butler County Common Pleas Court. He was released from prison just two years ago, in April 2018, according to Butler County online inmate records.

A grand jury indicted Slaton Wednesday on one count of murder, two counts of assault, three counts of grossly abusing a corpse, one count of involuntary manslaughter and four counts of tampering with evidence, according to court documents uploaded by the Butler County Common Pleas Court.

He is being held on $210,000 bond, the Journal-News, a local newspaper, reports.

It’s not clear if he has an attorney who can comment on his behalf.