Millions of Americans are dealing with financial issues connected to the pandemic shutdown. Although things are starting to open back up, many are still without jobs or shuffling to catch up. Paying bills of every type, especially rent, is causing many people distress. As reported by CNN, one rent dispute went way too far. Jerry Thompson has been arrested for decapitating his landlord Victor King over rent.
According to Hartford Police Department reports, police responded to a 911 call from King, who claimed that his roommate and tenant had been "waving a sword at him in a threatening and terrorizing manner" during a rent dispute. King gave the police Thompson's phone number, in an effort to hopefully de-escalate the situation. The report does not reveal whether Thompson was contacted by police.
The next day, the police responded to two 911 calls: one from a neighbor and one from a friend of King's. They were both concerned about his whereabouts and safety. Police went to investigate, and found King decapitated and, "covered by numerous articles of bedding." One medical examiner investigator's preliminary conclusions proposed King's injuries were consistent with a large edged weapon, highlighting, "lacerations to the landlord's right arm, upper chest and across the neck causing decapitation."
A male exiting a white Jeep carrying a, "long skinny shite object in his right hand" was identified in a warrant. The male entered the residence and left roughly 30 minutes later with the object still in hand. When police tracked down and questioned Thompson, he would not speak. Instead, he wrote on a piece of paper that a, "paper in glove compart in Jeep is all you need." After getting a warrant, police went into the glovebox and discovered paperwork proposing that Thompson believes he is a "sovereign citizen," which is an individual who believes he is not subservient to any statutes and understands the laws in his own way.
Hartford Police Dive Team found the suspected murder weapon roughly 10 miles away in the Farmington River, department spokesman Lt. Paul Cicero told CNN. Thompson was arrested and charged with murder. At his arraignment on Tuesday in Hartford Superior Court, Thompson refused to speak with a public defender. Subsequently, the courts did not appoint him one and he was detained until his next court appearance on August 18.