A California couple has been charged in connection with the murder and dismemberment of a homeless man in Laramie, court records show.
Hunter Orion Fulton has been charged with second-degree murder, mutilation of a dead body, possession of a deadly weapon and aggravated assault and battery. He faces 40 years to life in prison and thousands of dollars in fines if found guilty of all the charges.
Erin Brittany Wade has been charged with being an accessory to second-degree murder, conspiracy to mutilate a body and accessory after the fact to assault and battery. If convicted of all charges, she faces a little more than 10 years in prison.
According to an affidavit of probable cause filed in Albany County District Court, Fulton is accused of murdering and dismembering a homeless man around June 25.
While the affidavit only identified the victim as “M.T.C.,” the Laramie Police Department issued a plea to the public in late June seeking help in finding a missing person identified as Mathew Caggiano whose identity matched that of the murder victim.
Police were contacted on June 27 about M.T.C., who had not gone to work that day and had not been in contact with anyone in days. He was living in his vehicle, a Gold Dodge Ram with Idaho license plates, at the time.
The affidavit states that on the evening of June 24, Wade and Fulton went out to a couple of restaurants and bars in downtown Laramie before ending up at Copper’s Bar.
Wade told police when she was interviewed via phone that after she and Fulton arrived at Copper’s, they hung out with M.T.C. until he made a “sexual pass” at her. Fulton confronted the man, who apologized and then bought them drinks.
The couple ultimately left the bar and returned to their room at the Gas Lite Motel, where they then snorted cocaine.
At some point, Fulton left the room to get ice and kept the door open. M.T.C. then allegedly entered the room and attempted to sexually assault Wade at knifepoint, the affidavit said.
Fulton returned and got into a violent altercation with M.T.C. Wade said she soon heard a gunshot and realized her boyfriend had shot the man in the head.
Wade told police that the victim’s body was placed in the hotel room’s bathtub. Witnesses later told police that they saw Fulton leaving his room on multiple occasions.
On June 29, police arrested Fulton, who was sitting inside of his running vehicle in the hotel’s parking lot.
“You will find everything you need inside the room,” Fulton told police. “If your girlfriend would have gotten raped, you would have killed him too.”
Police found a receipt from Ace Hardware on June 25 that showed Fulton purchased trash bags and a saw, which they determined was likely used to dismember M.T.C.
When police searched the room, they found M.T.C. inside of a large black plastic bag in a state of decomposition with cuts to his torso.
A medical examiner determined a gunshot wound to the head killed M.T.C, and the cuts were made after his death.
