Samuel Littleton gave few answers in Tiffany Brown, Russell couple murders

BELLEFONTAINE — Hundreds of documents released in the triple-homicide case here showed authorities were prepared to inundate a jury with details if they had to prove in court that Samuel Littleton II took the lives of Tiffany Brown and Richard and Gladis Russell.

Littleton was sentenced to life in prison last week for the murders of Brown, the daughter of his girlfriend, and the Russells, a couple in their 80s who had little chance of defending themselves as he entered their home and strangled them both.

Prosecutors released thousands of documents, including text messages, forensic evidence, cell- phone records and interviews with Littleton’s family and co-workers that lay out a grim case of the three murders.

In the end, friends and family members of the victims were left with few answers as to why Littleton committed the murders.

In interviews with detectives after he was captured in West Virginia, Littleton simply said he frequently had evil thoughts, and fantasized since he was 9 about different ways of killing people.

Brown, whose mother lived with Littleton, was his first victim, killed Feb. 11. Court records show she arrived at his home after they exchanged several text messages. Littleton told detectives an argument ensued after they could not agree on a Valentine’s day gift for Tiffany’s mother, as well as about an income tax return Tiffany had recently received.

He “snapped” and strangled her, an investigators report states. According to an autopsy report, Brown suffered from multiple stab wounds, including at least 10 to her chest, two to her back and three wounds to her neck.

After Brown was reported missing, friends and co-workers and Brown’s mother, Deborah Neeley, said Littleton began behaving strangely. They noticed scratches on his hands and neck, but Littleton told them he was cleaning a fireplace grate that flipped and cut him. Others noticed that he was guarded about his basement. Shortly after Brown disappeared, he brought a cleaning agent home, telling friends and Brown’s mother that the dog had urinated there, and the chemical was needed to clean it.

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