FOX Carolina 21Fullbright gets life for killing Taylors couple

Fullbright gets life for killing Taylors couple

Matthew Fullbright, 32, was sentenced to life in prison Friday after a jury found him guilty of killing a Taylors couple two years ago.

Investigators said that on Oct. 23, 2009, Home Staton and his wife, Joann Staton met up with Fullbright, who had told the couple he wanted to sell some jewelry. They said that Fullbright then beat the couple to death, stole $75,000 from them and then dumped Homer Staton's body in a different location.

Fullbright, of Belton, was arrested several days later and charged with two counts of murder and two counts of armed robbery.

On Monday prosecutors told the jury that Fullbright had a plan in place to kill and then rob the couple.

"To lure them out with the guise of a big fish," said Catherine Huey, one of the state's prosecutors. "He said he had lots of gold to sell so they would have the most money as possible on them."

The trial continued on Tuesday with testimony from an Anderson County Sheriff's Office sergeant that said he assisted in the case. While on the stand, he testified that they found the bloody car and Homer Staton's body was found by a man walking, and a lead took them to Fullbright, who turned himself in the next day.

The sergeant said during several hours of interviewing, Fullbright became physically ill, and EMS was called. He said after EMS treated Fullbright, he led them to Joann Staton's body, then gave a seven-page written statement. The statement was read to the jury Tuesday.

A paramedic with MedShore also took the stand to testify that Fullbright was not under the influence of anything when EMS was called during Fullbright's interview with investigators. The paramedic said Fullbright had abrasions on the sternum, chest and back of his hand.

Fullbright's self-proclaimed drug dealer also testified. He told the jury that he had been dealing oxycontin to Fullbright for about five years. He said that Fullbright would typically buy two or three pills at a time at $60 each. He said that after the Statons were killed, Fullbright bought a higher number of pills.

On Wednesday, jurors heard from a forensic pathologist who testified about how the Statons were killed.

"Blunt force trauma, which resulted in breaking of the bones of the skull, fractures of the skull and tearing of the underlying fiber sack that protects our brain, and, actually, tearing of the brain itself," said Brett Woodard, the state's forensic pathologist.

On Thursday, Fullbright took the stand and denied having anything to do with the couple's death.

"I'm not going to sit here and let you make me look like something I'm not," Fullbright told the prosecutor questioning him. "I wasn't involved in this and I'm not going to sit here and act like I was. I'm not going to answer your question in a way to say that I was."

Fullbright said his memory of the days surrounding the Statons death is blurry. He said he was suffering from withdrawal from oxycontin.

"I don't think anyone in this court is going to remember exactly what they did two years ago," Fullbright said.

"Oh, if you really killed two people, you'd remember it," the prosecutor said.

"I didn't kill anyone, and you know that," Fullbright said.

On Friday, both sides delivered their closing arguments. The judge then charged the jury with the case and sent them away to begin deliberating.

The jury found Fullbright guilty of two counts of murder and two counts of armed robbery.

Fullbright was sentenced to two life prison sentences for the murder charges and two 30-year prison sentenced for the armed robbery charges.

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