Big case gives Lawton experience
Lawton said Republic is a safe place. But if the sleepy town ever wakes up to a gruesome whodunit, Lawton has some relevant experience.
Five years ago, a high-profile death captured the attention of the national media, and
Lawton was one of the people leading the investigation.
Media outlets descended on Coronado in 2011 to cover the bizarre death of Rebecca Zahau, who was found naked, hanging from a balcony, with her wrists and ankles bound.
Zahau's death came two days after a young boy in her care fell from a staircase balcony and died.
Some family members
speculated that Zahau's death was a revenge murder, but Lawton — and other investigators on the case — eventually
determined the death was a suicide.
There is still some ongoing civil litigation connected to the case.
"The best determination, with all of the evidence that we had, is that
it was not a murder, as many people
wanted it to be," Lawton said.
"I stand by that position today. I know there are a lot of different opinions about it, but
I stand by that position."
Lawton said working that case was good from an experience standpoint, and it makes him more prepared for the challenging cases he might see in southwest Missouri.
"I'm not looking for a case like that here in Republic," Lawton said. "I think I have had my fill of a national case. I want to use that experience to better myself for the smaller, local cases here."
Lawton said he still gets questions about the Zahau case, and it came up when he interviewed for the Republic job.
"I can't forget it, because everybody else remembers it," Lawton said. "It's really a sad case."
http://www.news-leader.com/story/ne...-chief-charts-new-future-department/78676452/