RICHMOND —
A Richmond man and woman could face the death penalty after being indicted Wednesday on capital murder charges.
Jason E. Singleton, 35, and Christina Tompkins Marcum, 29, are charged in the death and dismemberment of Singleton’s wife, Angela Frazier Singleton, 25, whose body was found in trash bags Jan. 19 at the end of Tattler’s Branch Road in the Valley View community.
They also were indicted for tampering with physical evidence. Singleton also was indicted for third-degree arson and abuse of a corpse, and Marcum was indicted for first-degree hindering apprehension or prosecution.
The two “... committed the offense of murder by beating and strangling Angela Frazier Singleton, causing her death,” according to the indictment. “Between Jan. 16 and Jan. 20 ... (Singleton and Marcum) committed the offense of tampering with physical evidence by removing, destroying, concealing and altering the body of Angela Frazier Singleton, the car belonging to (Angela) and other evidence including body fluids, flooring, clothing and the implements used to dismember Ms. Singleton.”
The Kentucky State Police and Madison County Sheriff’s Department obtained a warrant in February to search for any items, including power tools, that could have been used in Angela’s dismemberment.
Several items of suspicion were found in the search, including a circular saw, several types of knives, blood samples from carpet and drain traps and several boxes of trash bags, according to the search warrant affidavit.
Singleton was arrested Jan. 20 after an armed standoff in Somerset where hostages were held at gunpoint.
He was charged with murder late the next day after state and county detectives executed the warrant and searched his home in the Deacon Hills subdivision.
Angela’s mother, Nancy Canada, reported her daughter missing Jan. 17 to KSP troopers.
Less than two hours later, Lexington Police responded to a vehicle fire at Mile Marker 101 on Interstate 75, just inside Fayette County. No one was at the scene when a Lexington officer arrived, but the vehicle was registered to Angela.
After Singleton surrendered to Somerset Police, he made “a voluntary, unsolicited statement that he had done a terrible thing,” something that was “too terrible to talk about” and that the state police were looking for him, according to the affidavit.
A Somerset Police officer said he heard Singleton say “he wished the police would have killed him” in the armed standoff.
The detectives noted that Singleton “smelled strongly of smoke, and his clothes and vehicle were covered with a black film that was possibly soot from a fire.”
One of Singleton’s neighbors called the Madison County Fire Department at 7:45 a.m. Jan. 20 to report that “heavy smoke was coming from the house” at 110 Forest Hill Drive. However, the department was told soon afterward to disregard the call.
A 9 p.m. Jan. 20, two state police detectives interviewed Marcum at the Richmond post.
She told them she had spoken with Singleton the day before, and he told her “he had strangled Angela on Tuesday (Jan. 18).” Marcum also told police Singleton was “covered in ashes and soot and smelled like smoke,” when they spoke, police said.
His car also “smelled like smoke and another smell that smelled very badly,” she told them.
Singleton remains in the Pulaski County Detention Center where he is being held without bond.
It has not yet been reported when Singleton will be transported to Madison County.
When brought to Madison County to face the murder indictment, the warrant obtained by County Attorney Marc Robbins and signed by District Judge Earl-Ray Neal calls for Singleton to be held on a $1 million bond.
An indictment is a formal statement of charges and does not imply guilt.
Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon@richmondregister.com or 624-6608.
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