An Illinois man pled guilty to killing and chopping up his girlfriend in 2020, as well as disposing of her unidentified remains.
Troy Slaw, 47, entered the plea on Friday in the gruesome murder of 41-year-old Norma J. Crutchfield, according to the Macon County Prosecutor’s Office.
According to a criminal complaint acquired by Law&Crime, Crutchfield’s mother reported her missing on November 20, 2020, after a week of not checking in. Crutchfield and Slaw shared a house on Decatur’s 1100 block of East Olive Street. According to the lawsuit, her mother was anxious that something horrible had happened since Slaw had been aggressive in the past.
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A few weeks after the disappearance, Decatur police officers examined a 24-year-old man named Chase Freeman. Following his Miranda warnings, he allegedly stated that Slaw contacted him sometime in November and requested him to come over to his house after someone broke in.
When Freeman arrived, Slaw led him to a bedroom closet and showed him a lady who had been stabbed to death, according to the affidavit. Freeman informed investigators that the corpse looked to have been there for days. When detectives showed Freeman a photo of Crutchfield, he recognized her.
“Chase advised Troy told him that he had stabbed the woman in the chest and killed her,” according to the allegations. “Chase stated Troy had lined the bathroom with shower curtains, window curtains, and plastic.”
According to Freeman, the entire bathroom was covered, an electric saw was on the living room table, and black construction bags were everywhere. According to authorities, Freeman initially denied disposing of the corpse but then revealed to officers that he did help. In a subsequent interview, Freeman reportedly informed investigators that he and Slaw discussed how to dispose of Crutchfield’s body.
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Slaw allegedly offered Freeman $200 to cut up his body and dispose of the remains in bags in garbage cans outside several residential residences. Freeman told Slaw that he believed it was a “bad idea” because many residences have security cameras, officers noted. Slaw then recommended tossing the bags into a lake, but Freeman was afraid that they might float, according to the affidavit.
Freeman reportedly told police that he and Slaw carried the corpse from the closet to the bathroom, where it was to be sliced up. According to the allegation, Freeman refused to assist in the dissection and then departed. He stayed outside a watched as Slaw dismembered the body.
The next day, Freeman reportedly assisted Slaw in cleaning up bloodstains throughout the residence. According to the lawsuit, Freeman then took two contractor-style bags to his residence, each weighing between 40 and 60 pounds, and deposited them in a huge garbage can.
“When asked if he thought Norma’s body was inside those bags he stated, most likely,” the police recorded.
Crutchfield’s remains have never been discovered by police.
According to the complaint, when police investigated Slaw’s residence, they discovered blood belonging to Crutchfield. In 2022, detectives declared Crutchfield dead and charged Slaw with first-degree murder, misuse of a corpse, dismemberment of a human body, and concealing of homicidal death. He pled guilty to first-degree murder on Friday, and the remaining counts were withdrawn, according to prosecutors. On September 4, a court will sentence him.
Prosecutors accused Freeman of dismembering a human body and concealing homicidal death. His case is ongoing, and he has a court hearing set for September 5.