Double Murder Suspect Caught in St. Johns County
As of January 24th, John Payton Scott III, suspected for the murder of 40-year-old Sharon Tarwater Whited, the suspects girlfriend, and 75-year-old Chester E. Tarwater Jr. the father of Sharon, in Helena, Alabama was captured. SJSO deputies got word that the suspect may have been traveling in the area. Once the department received this information, they conducted a search for his vehicle, and found him in the area of International Golf Parkway and I-95. He was originally believed to be armed and dangerous as he traveled across state borders, but once he was cornered through the PIT maneuver he immediately surrendered. They have not yet released any new information on how the victims were killed or who commited the crime, but did initially say they just wanted Scott for questioning and that he was not a suspect. However, they have since arrested him without mentioning what evidence led them to obtain warrants against Scott. Tuesday morning, he went in front of a judge and declared he wanted a lawyer before deciding whether he would waive extradition to Alabama.
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By: Ashlyn Hunt
