Cierra Alexis Sutton has been charged with murder in connection with the death of Steven Coleman, who was last seen on the evening of Aug. 16.
According to investigators, Sutton admitted to others that she had shot Coleman in the head as he slept after an argument. Because his body was too heavy for her to carry, Sutton allegedly hacked it into smaller pieces with a machete and then disposed of the smaller pieces in various local dumpsters.
On Aug. 22, a male torso was found in a Chambers County landfill that receives trash from dumpsters throughout Baytown and Pasadena. While the torso has yet to be definitively identified as Coleman's, investigators say some key physical characteristics do match.
Man's torso found in Baytown landfill
Coleman's credit cards were used at a Harris County Walmart after he went missing, according to investigators, and the woman caught on surveillance camera buying duct tape and a mattress pad with Coleman's card closely matched Sutton's description.
Witnesses reported seeing Sutton and other men moving furniture out of Coleman's apartment on Aug. 20; by the time investigators searched the apartment on Aug. 24, most of the furniture had been removed from the apartment, but crime scene investigators did find blood in several rooms, including the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. Investigators said they also found blood in Sutton's jeep.
In an interview with detectives, one of Coleman's friends told detectives that Coleman "told her on numerous occasions if he was ever to go missing, she needed to make sure police looked into [Sutton] as the cause," according to court documents.
Investigators say they had attempted to interview Sutton about Coleman's disappearance, but she failed to show up for interviews. A third party tipped authorities off after Sutton allegedly spoke openly about the crime to others.
According to Baytown police, Sutton was taken into custody on Thursday in Louisiana.