Middletown man indicted for murder in case of woman found in metal drum

A Middletown man is now accused of killing a woman he allegedly mutilated and hid in a metal drum.

William Slaton, 35, was arrested June 30 after Middletown police discovered 21-year-old Cecily Cornett’s body in a barrel at his home in the 3200 block of Yankee Road. He is charged with gross abuse of a corpse, failure to report a crime or death and tampering with evidence.

Today, a Butler County grand jury indicted Slaton for murder, felonious assault, four counts of tampering with evidence, involuntary manslaughter, three counts of gross abuse of a corpse, assault and failure to report a crime.

Slaton is housed in the Butler County Jail in lieu of $210,000 bond that was set in lower court on the original charges.

Middletown police were called to Slaton’s home on June 30 to investigate a tip about a dead woman in a barrel on the property. When police knocked on the door and told Slaton about the complaint, he refused to let officers inside. He went back into the house, ran out of the back and dumped the barrel over a fence into a neighbor’s yard, Middletown police Maj. Scott Reeve said.

When officers opened the barrel, they found a nude woman’s body.

During an interview with detectives, Slaton admitted to being in the house with the victim and said that after using drugs, he woke up and found her hanging in the basement, according to Middletown Municipal Court documents. He told police he used a knife to cut off her fingers and tattoos

Slaton said he put the pieces of her body in a sealed bowl and hid the fingers and skin in the basement, according to the complaint.

Slaton is being held on a federal holder for allegedly violating community control after a conviction for “conspiracy to murder (a) federal officer,” according to court documents.

In 2011, Slaton was also convicted in Butler County Common Pleas Court of of illegal use of a minor in nudity oriented material or performance and four counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor. He served seven year in prison for those charges.

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