A Seattle nurse and mother of three was killed by her boyfriend, who cut her apart then dumped her head and other body parts in a recycling bin, prosecutors said.
A judge set bail at $2 million for John Robert Charlton, 37, Tuesday, as court documents showed investigators searching Ingrid Lyne’s Renton home found a 15-inch pruning saw, swabs of blood and an empty box of trash bags identical to those in which her remains were found.
She and Charlton had been dating for six to eight weeks before she vanished Friday night despite earlier reports they had just met online, KOMO-TV reported. The ex-husband of Lyne, 40, reported her missing Saturday morning, and a homeowner discovered the head, arm, lower leg and foot that afternoon, court documents show.
Seattle police arrested Charlton Monday north of the city, in Snohomish County. King County prosecutor Jennifer Worley said in court Tuesday that detectives found human flesh and blood in Lyne’s bathtub near the saw.
Charlton’s public defender, Gordon Hill, countered that no forensic evidence connected Charlton to her death and it couldn't be proven she was killed when Charlton was with her.
Charlton has a troubled history. His parents filed for a restraining order in 2006, saying he became drunk and abusive. He allegedly took the serial killer movie “Hannibal” down from a shelf and told his mother she should watch it and “beware.” The filing was later dismissed at his parents’ request.
Charlton was convicted of negligent driving in Washington state in 1998, aggravated robbery in Utah in 2006 and felony theft in Montana in 2009.
He had cuts on and scratches on his forehead, hands and chest and injuries to his lip and chin when he was arrested Monday, police said. He told investigators he went to the Seattle Mariners baseball game with Lyne Friday night and went home with her but he was too drunk to remember anything that happened.
A judge set bail for John Charlton, seen in court without his face showing due to local laws, at $2 million Tuesday.
Court records obtained by The Seattle Times revealed that Lyne’s mother exchanged texts with Charlton on Saturday when she and Lyne’s ex-husband searched for her at her home. She told him she called 911.
“911? What’s going on? We went to the Mariner's (sic) game last night but we didn’t stay the night together because she has her kids today …” he wrote.
Her mom told him Lyne was missing.
“A police officer needs to speak to you as you may be the last person who saw her,” she wrote. He never responded.
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