Men ‘flipping out on meth’ indicted in beating death of 19-year-old friend, NC cops say
Two men were “flipping out on meth” when they beat their childhood friend to death in North Carolina, news outlets report.
Dylan Thomas Deaton, 19, was killed and left along a Rhodhiss street last week, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
Now, two 20-year-olds are indicted on murder and kidnapping charges in the case, according to court documents signed Monday.
The pair had known Deaton since kindergarten, The News Herald reports.
“These are people he considered friends that no matter how many times we told him to stay away from them, he would defend them,” dad Scott Deaton said, according to WSOC. “He did grow up with them playing sports together.”
The father told The News Herald it “hit hard” when he found out who was accused of murder.
The friends — Matthew Dylan Buckles and Tristian Claude Eugene Shoup — were on meth when they assaulted Deaton at a house, according to documents obtained by WBTV.
The suspects were being held Wednesday in the Burke County jail, records show.
Also in custody was Ryleigh Elizabeth Waldrop, 28, who faces a charge of accessory before the fact, officials say.
Officials say she “restrained Deaton (before) he was killed,” The News Herald reports.
This story was originally published September 11, 2019 at 3:33 PM with the headline "Men ‘flipping out on meth’ indicted in beating death of 19-year-old friend, NC cops say."
