In a chilling case that has gripped Dallas County, Missouri, Timothy Norton has been sentenced to life in prison for the first-degree murder of Cassidy Rainwater. This marks the second life sentence handed down in connection with the horrific crime, following the sentencing of James Phelps earlier this year. As part of Norton's plea agreement, additional charges of abandoning a corpse and kidnapping were dismissed.
The case unfolded in September 2021 when DNA analysis confirmed that human remains discovered at Phelps' residence belonged to 33-year-old Rainwater. The FBI played a crucial role in the investigation, providing investigators with disturbing photographic evidence depicting Rainwater's body bound and mutilated on a gantry crane, typically used for deer processing. Further remains, marked with the inscription "7-24," were located in a freezer on the property and an adjacent lot.
Digital evidence unearthed during the investigation revealed a premeditated plan by Phelps and Norton to end Rainwater's life. According to Norton's account to FBI agents, he held Rainwater's legs while Phelps strangled her and suffocated her with a plastic bag. They then moved her body outside, suspended it from the gantry crane, and dismembered it.
Rainwater was initially reported missing in August 2021, with the last known sighting placing her with Phelps in July of that year. Phelps initially claimed that Rainwater had been staying with him temporarily and was planning to travel to Chicago. He also mentioned a late-night encounter between Rainwater and an unidentified individual in a vehicle at the end of his driveway a month before her disappearance.
Following his sentencing, Norton expressed remorse to local news station KYTV, stating that he deserved the death penalty. He claimed that he and Phelps suspected Rainwater of theft and sought to retrieve their belongings, but the situation spiraled out of control at Phelps' home.
Adding another layer of complexity to the case, Phelps' residence was destroyed in a fire on October 4, 2021, which was later determined to be arson. Investigators discovered two explosive devices near the property, constructed with mortar tubes, balloons, and trip wires.
