I am so pleased they were finally able to get enough evidence to charge Sweat. There was talk a few months ago here on the last general discussion thread they may have their man. They just needed a way to prove it. I guess they found it.
From what I gathered a couple of months ago when we were looking at this guy, he was originally questioned when LE was looking for that specific glock gun. LE said there were 40 registered or sold in the state and they had talked to 25 of them. Apparently Sweat told them he'd sold it. I believe they also obtained his dna at that time, (not completely sure about that).
Anyway, it wasn't until his g/f's disappearance and subsequent revalation by LE that he'd killed her, that he became a serious POI in this case. During late summer, fall 2011, LE had put out notices with a $5,000 reward for anyone with that particular glock, and they had the license number. They just needed to compare the markings on the bulletts.
I believe, not positive, it was a Websleuther who sent a tip that this guy had done target practice on the property. This was apparently what they needed, next best thing to actually having the weapon. Shell casings showing markings.
Many will be concerned why it took LE so long to connect him. They'd suspected him for many months and were working diligently behind the scenes. But LE only gets ONE chance to try him. They HAD to have {proof} to insure a conviction. He was already behind bars when they began their inquiry, so he wasn't going to be able to harm anyone else in the meantime. NOW, he's gonna get, HOPEFULLY, the DP, X's THREE!
Anyway, you have to admit that those photos of Sweat in his 'deviantart' site resemble the possible perp. Could it have been an American Indian? Sure. It was most likely the witness who said they thought they were Indian. But many people have their hair long and pulled back, so I doubt LE was just looking at Indians. Just the general description his hair did appear very dark.
I don't believe he really had a motive. That was my original thought on this case very early on. No motive, just because. It's sick individuals like this guy appears to be, that cause us to distrust many strangers. You never know what's going on behind those stares.
It is interesting, I wonder if he's good for any other of the unsolved cases around Oklahoma? LE might want to check the other jurisdictions to see if there's any connection,............ANY connection at all. A thrill killer has no bounds!
Bless this family and praying that Skyla and Taylor can now finally RIP, knowing they got the guy that took their life.
fran