Inset: Rudy Minton (Columbus Police Department). Background: The area near where Minton allegedly killed his landlord in Columbus, Ind. (Google Maps).
An Indiana man has been jailed after authorities say he killed his 89-year-old landlord during a dispute over rent.
Rudy Minton, 49, is facing a preliminary murder charge in connection with the death of Jerrell “Jerry” McCullough, the Columbus Police Department said in a press release.
The case began on the night of July 21, when officers were dispatched to a duplex on Pearl Street in Columbus, a midsize city about 50 miles north of Indianapolis, to conduct a welfare check.
Police said responding officers spoke with Minton and, while checking on McCullough, discovered “a deceased person inside” Minton’s residence. The Bartholomew County Coroner’s Office later identified the victim as McCullough.
Minton was arrested at the scene and subsequently charged with murder.
The request for the welfare check came from McCullough’s son, who became concerned after seeing his father’s Honda CR-V parked outside and unlocked — something he described as “abnormal for him,” according to court documents obtained by Indianapolis Fox affiliate WXIN.
According to police, McCullough’s son went to the home and encountered Minton at the door. Minton allegedly would not allow him inside, prompting the younger McCullough to call 911 and tell Minton that officers 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.
