Winans tabbed as the one who stabbed Carthage couple

Matt Laurins, 19, Springfield, one of two men charged with the Oct. 11 murders of Bob and Ellen Sheldon of Carthage, has fingered the other defendant, Darren Winans, 21, Jasper, as the man who stabbed the couple.

The grisly details of the crime, taken from the probable cause statement, are included in Jeff Lehr's article in today's Joplin Globe:

The affidavit filed to obtain an initial search warrant for the home states that deputies were called to the residence late on the morning of Oct. 12 after the couple’s son Danny Sheldon discovered their bodies.

Deputies found Ellen Sheldon lying on her back on the floor just inside a hallway door at the west entrance of the house. She had a stab wound to her chest, the affidavit states. Robert Sheldon was found seated in a chair in the living room. He had multiple stab wounds, the affidavit states.

Deputies noted a blood trail leading to the couple’s dog, which also had been stabbed to death. The document designates the location of the dog’s body in a small room between outer and inner west-entry doors.