INEZ, Ky.-
A man accused of shooting two neighbors to death and wounding a third was captured without incident at home Wednesday morning, authorities said.
Billy Sartin, a convicted stalker released from prison three years ago, had been the subject of a manhunt in the rural Inez area since the fatal shootings late Monday of Jeffrey Mattox, 41, and Billy Proctor, 53, and the wounding of Mattox’s live-in girlfriend, Sue Collins, in the town near the West Virginia line.
The shootings prompted the closures Tuesday of nearby schools while authorities searched for Sartin, also known as William Ray Starr. Neighbors said he had a reputation for intimidating behavior, and his brother said he had a long history of mental problems.
Sartin, 47, was unarmed when Martin County Sheriff Garmon Preece and deputies arrested him. Preece said he was tipped off when he saw Sartin’s dog in the front yard and heard noises inside the house.
“He knows he had clothes here, a bed, food and water,” Preece said of why Sartin may have returned home. “If you don’t have friends, where would you go to?”
His brother, John Sartin, said Billy Sartin suffered from schizophrenia and at times acted paranoid or delusional, although he had a prescription for anti-psychotic drugs. He said Billy Sartin had been in and out of mental hospitals for more than a decade, and that he had claimed to have been poisoned in the days leading up to the shootings.
“He’s had a troubled past,” said John Sartin, who lives across the road from his brother. “We’re shocked about it. We know he’s odd, but we keep him to ourselves.”
Sue Collins’ father, Elijah, said she told him that Sartin came to the couple’s house Monday night and forced his way in when they told him to go away.
Police said Sartin shot Mattox and Sue Collins and took her with him before meeting Proctor on the street. Sartin then shot Proctor to death and fled on foot, police said.
John Sartin said his brother had been to Mattox and Collins’ home for drinks a few times. It was unclear whether Sartin and Proctor had known each other.
Sartin remained in jail Wednesday on murder, kidnapping and assault charges, said Kentucky State Police Sgt. Steve Spurlock. Police said a gun had been recovered but offered no other information on the weapon.
Collins remained hospitalized in stable condition for a gunshot wound in the upper torso, Spurlock said. Elijah Collins said his daughter expected to remain hospitalized for a week.
Neighbors said the victims were friendly and quiet but that Sartin was unpredictable and loitered around their neighborhood.
“He’s a weird fella,” said Gary Harmon, who lives nearby. “He walked around here carrying a stick sometimes. You just wouldn’t want to run into him in a dark alley.”
Sartin was released from prison in 2003 after serving a three-year sentence for stalking.
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