Jury selection is set to begin Monday in the trial of a man charged with breaking into the home of Abilene real estate agent Thomas Niblo and shooting him eight times on Dec. 12, 2016. .
Niblo’s brother-in-law, Luke Sweezer, has been incarcerated in Taylor County Jail since he was arrested on September 17, 2020 on first-degree murder charges related to the murder. His bond was set at $750,000.
The trial will be held in the 350th District Court presided over by Judge Thomas Wheeler. The lead prosecutor is Taylor County Assistant District Attorney Dan Joyner, and Lynn Ingallsbe is the defense counsel.
At the time of Sweeter’s arrest, then-Abilene Police Chief Stan Standridge responded to a common question he asked about why it took more than three years to arrest the case.
“People consistently asked, ‘Why did it take so long?’ Because there was so much electronic evidence to sort through,” says Standridge. “When dealing with terabytes of electronic information, it takes a lot of time.”
Shooting day
The son of late bank president Sidney “Sid” Niblo and famed Abilene artist Evelyn Niblo, Niblo graduated from McMurry College and was Vice President of Senter, Realtors. He specialized in commercial real estate development.
According to police, Niblo’s wife, Cheryl, reported hearing multiple gunshots early in the morning on Monday, December 12, 2016, while in the bathroom of her home on the 3700 block of Woodridge Drive.
Police said she called 911 at a neighbor’s house at 6:18 a.m. after leaving the house through the back door.
First responders found Niblo, 54, with a gunshot wound in his bed and took him to Hendrick Medical Center, where he died. A forensic autopsy revealed.
Police said the gun used in the shooting was likely a 40-caliber handgun, based on the discovery of used cartridge cases.
How to proceed with the investigation
According to an affidavit, Abilene police seized Sweeter early in the case after discovering evidence that there was a rift between the Sweeter and Niblo families stemming from Sid Niblo’s execution of his will after his death. named as a suspect.
“While the victim and her mother were named as executors, the victim’s sister, Ellouise Nibro Sweetzer, and her husband, Luke Sweetzer, were specifically excluded as executors of the will. was being held,” said an affidavit filed early in the investigation.
Sweeter was working for Blue Cross Blue Shield in Abilene, Texas at the time of the shooting, but was living in Dallas when he was arrested. According to online court records, Ellouise Sweetser filed for divorce in April 2017 and was granted on August 16, 2021.
As part of the investigation, officers executed search warrants at the Sweezers, the family’s warehouse on the 300 block of Mesquite Street (about half a mile from the Niblo House) and the downtown Alexander Building, which is connected to the Niblo House. Did. A sweet one, according to the Reporter-News file.
According to previous reports, investigators seized numerous electronic devices, including mobile phones, computers/laptops and external storage drives. Standridge said the FBI helped Abilene police process electronic evidence.
When Sweetser’s arrest was announced, Standridge declined to discuss the evidence leading to securing an arrest warrant, including whether the murder weapon was recovered.
Stanridge named at least 10 police officers, two evidence analysts, and two retired officers who were involved in cases that produced “hundreds, if not thousands, of evidence.”
Laura Gutschke is a general reporter, food columnist and curator of online content for Reporter-News. If she likes locally-led news, she can support local journalists with her digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.