About three months after an elderly woman was found dead in her New Jersey home, an acquaintance of he son is accused of her murder.
Samuel Kevin Davis, 45, faces murder charges in the beating death of Thriza Sweeten on March 19 inside her home on the 1500 block of S Delaware Avenue, the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office announced Friday.
Prosecutors said Davis was an acquaintance of Sweeten's son. The son occasionally would live with his mother but was hospitalized at the time of Sweeten's death.
Authorities always considered Davis a person of interest in the case. He was arrested on March 20 on an unrelated charge to the Sweeten murder and has remained in county jail since, according to prosecutors.
Forensic evidence linked Davis to Sweeten's murder and he was charged Thursday with murder and weapons charges. He bail was set at $750,000.
Davis, of Paulsboro, is listed on the state's Megan's Law website for sexual assault on two women.
Investigators say Sweeten, who lived alone, was last seen alive around 10 p.m. on Sunday March 18. She was found by her daughter around 6 p.m. the next day as the daughter stopped by to check in on her mother.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
"She said it looked like she was beaten, punched in the face," said Derrek Montalto, Sweeten's son-in-law. "Her eyes were puffy and she had a gash on her head."
An autopsy performed on March 20 determined that Sweeten died from multiple injuries, including blunt force trauma, according to police.
The news of Sweeten's death shocked her quiet community.
"That lady was harmless," said Robert Jones, a family friend. "She would give you the shirt off her back."
Fan, follow and download: Get the latest from NBC10.com anytime, anywhere. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, our mobile site and NBC Philadelphia. Sign up for our breaking news newsletter. And, get breaking news delivered right to your mobile phone -- just text PHIBREAKING to 639710 to sign up. (Message and data rates may apply.)
