Nicholas Todd Sutton

Overview

Nicholas Todd Sutton (July 15, 1961 – February 20, 2020) was an American serial killer whose gruesome crimes spanned North Carolina and Tennessee between August and December of 1979. He was responsible for the murders of two acquaintances and his own grandmother. Initially convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, Sutton’s life took another dark turn in prison, leading to his involvement in the murder of a fellow inmate over a drug dispute. For this final crime, he was sentenced to death and executed in 2020, making him the most recent person to meet this fate by electric chair in the United States.

Quick Facts

• Born: July 15, 1961, Morristown, Tennessee, U.S.
• Died: February 20, 2020 (aged 58), Riverbend Maximum Security Institution, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
• Cause of Death: Execution by electrocution
• Other Names: "Nicky"
• Convictions:
  • Tennessee: First degree murder (2 counts)
  • North Carolina: Second degree murder (2 counts)
• Criminal Penalty:
  • Tennessee: Death
  • North Carolina: Life imprisonment
• Details:
  • Victims: 4
  • Span of Crimes: 1979–1985
  • Country: United States
  • States: North Carolina, Tennessee
  • Date Apprehended: December 25, 1979

Early Life

Nicholas Todd Sutton's beginnings were marred by tragedy and dysfunction. Born in Morristown, Tennessee, he was abandoned by his mother at birth, leaving him in the care of a father who was a mentally ill and verbally abusive alcoholic. This chaotic environment led Sutton to a life of substance abuse, as his father introduced him to drugs at an early age—a habit that persisted until his incarceration.

When Sutton was still a teenager, his father passed away unexpectedly. Subsequently, he was adopted by his grandmother, Dorothy Virginia Sutton, a well-meaning schoolteacher living in Lowland, Tennessee. "Nicky," as he was affectionately called, struggled in school, often dropping out due to frequent altercations with classmates. His grandmother, despite her efforts to support him, found herself financially burdened as Sutton squandered money on cocaine and maintaining his pit bulls. He even sold gifts she had given him, including a pickup truck and a plot of land in North Carolina.

Discovery of Murders

On Christmas Day 1979, Sutton approached the Morristown Police Department to report his grandmother missing, claiming that he had last seen her three days prior in the company of an unidentified male. However, a search of the family home revealed disturbing signs of foul play—blood stains on carpets, walls, and floors raised red flags for investigators.

As the investigation unfolded, Sutton's story began to unravel. He confessed to disposing of his grandmother's body, claiming he found her lifeless on the floor upon returning home. In a panic, he alleged he stuffed her body into a bag, weighted it with a cinderblock, and threw it into the Nolichucky River. After a two-day search, the body of 58-year-old Dorothy Sutton was recovered. A forensic autopsy revealed that she had suffered blunt force trauma to the back of her head and subsequently drowned.

Despite his claims of innocence, Sutton was charged with murder, and his bail was set at $100,000. As the investigation deepened, Sutton changed his narrative, alleging that a man named Charles Pomery Almon III—a Knoxville contractor—was the actual killer. He asserted that Almon had broken into the Sutton home and killed his grandmother, and that Sutton had shot Almon in self-defense before disposing of both bodies in the river. However, police remained skeptical, especially since Almon had been reported missing for over two months, and his vehicle was found abandoned.

Adding to the complexity, Sutton confessed to the murder of John Michael Large, a childhood friend. He claimed that Large had threatened him over money related to a drug deal. Their confrontation escalated at a remote farm in Waterville, North Carolina, where a heated argument turned deadly. Sutton claimed he struck Large with a tobacco stick, then beat and choked him with a dog chain before ramming the stick down Large's throat. Afterward, he buried Large's body in a shallow grave near Mount Sterling.

With Sutton's directions, police quickly located Large's burial site, and an autopsy confirmed that the cause of death was blunt force trauma. This led to a murder warrant being issued for Sutton in North Carolina. Investigators were unable to locate Almon's body, which led them to suspect Sutton had concealed it elsewhere.

Investigation, Trial, and Conviction

On April 29, 1980, Sutton was arraigned for the murder of Large, while authorities in Tennessee continued their search for Almon's remains. On May 14, scuba divers discovered the remains of at least four bodies in an old rock quarry near Newport, with one believed to be Almon. Like Sutton's previous victims, this body was found wrapped in bags and weighed down with cinderblocks, leading investigators to recognize a disturbing pattern—what they referred to as "Sutton's signature."

Upon hearing about the quarry discovery, Sutton confessed to two more murders: an unidentified Alcoa teenager he claimed to have killed in July 1978 and a supposed drug buyer from Atlanta. However, as the investigation unfolded, it became apparent that Sutton's claims were likely fabrications aimed at evading the death penalty. By June 1980, he was formally charged with Almon's murder.

To avoid a potential death sentence, Sutton ultimately pleaded guilty to both murder charges, receiving two additional life sentences. During his sentencing, he expressed remorse for his actions, attributing the murders to fits of anger and recklessness.

Prison Murder

Sutton's story took yet another dark turn after he was incarcerated. Initially held at the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary, he was later transferred to the Morgan County Correctional Complex. In prison, Sutton continued his illicit drug dealings, leading to a fateful encounter with 44-year-old Carl Isaac Estep, a fellow inmate serving a life sentence for the rape of a 9-year-old girl.

In early January 1985, a dispute over drugs escalated into violence. Estep threatened Sutton, prompting Sutton and three accomplices—Charles Arnold Freeman, Thomas Street, and David Wesley Stufflestreet—to plot revenge. On January 15, they confronted Estep in his cell, stabbing him 38 times. Initially, there were no charges filed against the group, but by May 20, Sutton, Freeman, and Street were charged with first-degree murder, while Stufflestreet faced accessory charges.

In March 1986, Sutton and Street were found guilty of murder, with Sutton receiving the death penalty, while Freeman and Stufflestreet were acquitted.

Appeals and Execution

In the years that followed, Sutton's legal team pursued numerous appeals, arguing that his troubled upbringing and subsequent good behavior warranted a reconsideration of his death sentence. Several correctional officials at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution attested to Sutton's transformation, describing him as a model inmate who cared for others and even saved guards' lives during prison riots. Interestingly, some jurors from Sutton's original trial began advocating for his clemency, a sentiment not shared by the family of his victims, particularly Amy Large Cook, sister of John Large, who insisted that he deserved to die.

In January 2020, Sutton opted for the electric chair over lethal injection for his execution—a choice permitted under Tennessee law. As the execution date drew closer, Governor Bill Lee denied Sutton's clemency application, and the Supreme Court declined to intervene.

On February 20, 2020, Nicholas Todd Sutton was executed via electric chair at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution. In his final moments, he expressed gratitude for his faith, family, and friends. After partaking in communion with his spiritual adviser, Sutton requested fried pork chops, mashed potatoes with gravy, and peach pie with vanilla ice cream for his last meal. His final words were deeply reflective: "I'm just grateful to be a servant of God."

As of 2025, Sutton remains the most recent person to be executed by electric chair in the United States.

See Also

• Capital punishment in Tennessee
• List of people executed in Tennessee
• List of people executed in the United States in 2020
• List of serial killers in the United States
• List of people executed by electrocution

Sources

• Dorman, Travis; Allison, Natalie; Tamburin, Adam (February 20, 2020). "Tennessee execution: Nicholas Todd Sutton executed by electric chair." The Tennessean. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020.
• Dorman, Travis (January 30, 2020). "Nicky Sutton's twisted tale may end soon in Tennessee's electric chair." Knoxville News Sentinel. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021.
• "Chained, weighed body of woman, 58, pulled from river." Johnson City Press. December 30, 1979.
• "Victim's Grandson Charged in Killing." The Tennessean. January 1, 1980.
• "Morristown Man Bound Over To Grand Jury On Charge Of Killing Grandmother." Kingsport Times-News. January 9, 1981.
• "Man Given Life Term in Drowning Of Grandmother." The Tennessean. April 4, 1980.
• Hensley, Jay (April 25, 1980). "Second Body Target Of Search In Haywood." Asheville Citizen-Times.
• Hensley, Jay (April 17, 1980). "Convicted Murderer Leads Officers To Shallow Grave." Asheville Citizen-Times.
• Hensley, Jay (April 18, 1980). "Warrant Issued After Receipt Of Autopsy Report." Asheville Citizen-Times.
• "Prisoner charged in death of Morristown man." Kingsport News-Times. April 30, 1980.
• "Scuba divers hunting more bodies in old east Tennessee rock quarry." The Charlotte News. May 14, 1980.
• "Search for bodies in Tennessee halted." Bennington Banner. May 15, 1980.
• "Suspect, police search for more victims' graves." The Jackson Sun. May 21, 1980.
• Tangey, Matt (May 17, 1980). "Warrants Allow Search For Fourth, Fifth Bodies." The Tennessean.
• "Teen-age killer indicted." Austin American-Statesman. June 5, 1980.
• Taylor, Skip (April 7, 1981). "Sutton Given 'Double Life' In Murders." Asheville Citizen-Times.
• "Four charged in murder of fellow prison inmate." Johnson City Press. May 30, 1985.
• "Inmate gets death sentence for stabbing." Johnson City Press. March 5, 1986.
• Tamburin, Adam (2020-01-22). "Death row inmate Nicholas Todd Sutton chooses electric chair for Feb. 20 execution." The Tennessean. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
• Dorman, Travis (February 19, 2020). "Tennessee death row inmate Nicholas Sutton chooses last meal before scheduled execution." Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
• "Nicholas Sutton's last words before execution by electric chair." archive.ph. 2021-11-25. Archived from the original on 2021-11-25. Retrieved 2022-09-19.

For more information on related cases and executions, you can follow the links regarding executions carried out in Tennessee and the United States.