Murder charges filed, gruesome details released in Cassidy Rainwater case
The Dallas County Prosecutor's Office filed first-degree murder charges Wednesday morning against James Phelps and Timothy Norton, the two men accused of kidnapping and now killing Dallas County woman Cassidy Rainwater.
The new charges come after the Dallas County Sheriff's Office confirmed through DNA testing that body parts found on Phelps' property during the investigation belong to Rainwater.
Phelps and Norton were arrested back in September for kidnapping and holding Rainwater in a cage.
According to a Facebook post from the Dallas County Sheriff's Office, they were initially tipped off to Phelps' and Norton's involvement in Rainwater's disappearance when the FBI forwarded a cyber-tip titled "Cassidy" depicting photos of a woman partially nude and in a cage, as well as photos of that same woman bound to a gantry crane, commonly used in deer processing, eviscerated and dismembered.
More: What we know so far about the Cassidy Rainwater disappearance in Dallas County
According to the Sheriff's Office, that woman was later identified as Cassidy Rainwater, who had been reported missing in August but was last seen in late July.
The last person to see her was Phelps, who had been interviewed by officers right after the missing person's report was filed. At the time he told investigators he had not seen her in weeks and believed she had left in the middle of the night to go to Colorado.
When investigators returned to Phelps' property after they received the photos from the FBI, they reportedly recognized items on his property that were in the photos and arrested him.
While processing the scene at Phelps' home, investigators from the Dallas County Sheriff's Office, the Greene County Sheriff's Office and the FBI collected the crane, the cage and items in a freezer that appeared to be human flesh labeled "7-24". After DNA testing, the remains in the freezer were determined to be Rainwater's.
Additionally, according to the Sheriff's Office, skeletal remains believed to belong to Rainwater were also found on Phelps' property.
The house on Phelps' property was later burned down after authorities had processed the scene. Investigators found explosive devices on the property and determined that the cause was arson.
More: Fire at house of Dallas County kidnapping suspect was arson, investigators say
During an interview with authorities, Norton confessed to the murder and reportedly said that Rainwater was killed when Phelps placed a bag over her head and strangled her while Norton helped hold her legs down, according to the Dallas County Sheriff's Office.
Norton also reportedly told investigators that he had helped Phelps carry her body outside where Phelps tied her to the gantry crane, then eviscerated and dismembered her body, according to the post.
Authorities have not found any evidence linking the two to other victims, according to the post.
More: 4 takeaways from Dallas County sheriff’s Facebook post about the Cassidy Rainwater case
Norton's lawyer Brenden Twibell said the new charges were expected.
"We expected these charges to be filed and Mr. Norton will be entering pleas of ‘not guilty’ to these allegations," he said. "Additionally, our firm will continue to review and investigate any potential evidence we receive from the prosecutor’s office."
Norton and Phelps were also charged with abandoning a corpse in addition to the first-degree murder and kidnapping charges. Norton is set to appear in court next Tuesday, and Phelps this Friday.
Neither Phelps' attorney nor the Dallas County Prosecuting Attorney's Office could be reached for comment by press time.
Jordan Meier covers public safety for the Springfield News-Leader. Contact her at jmeier@news-leader.com, (417) 597-7663 or on Twitter @Jordan_Meier644
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Cassidy Rainwater remains found, Dallas County men charged with murder
