A Lawrence detective testified Friday that financial records found at the crime scene raised suspicions about Ronald Eugene Heskett, a 48-year-old Eudora man charged with first degree murder in the death of a disabled Lawrence man in his care.

Ronald Eugene Heskett

Vance Van Moulton

Heskett worked as a home health care attendant for Vance “Van” Moulton, 65, who had cerebral palsy. Moulton was found dead of asphyxiation Sept. 12, 2014, at his residence at Prairie Ridge Place Apartments, 2424 Melrose Lane. Douglas County Coroner Erik Mitchell testified at a preliminary hearing Friday that a “consistent area of compression surrounding his entire neck” had caused the asphyxiation.

Heskett initially described the death as an assisted suicide, officials said, but investigators quickly suspected otherwise.

Lawrence Police Department Detective Randy Glidewell testified that when he arrived to investigate the scene he found Moulton lying on his side in bed with a towel around his head. Once he received a warrant, Glidewell said, he began to search. Heskett had said he found Moulton’s body.

While searching for evidence, Glidewell said he was informed that Heskett was asking that his book bag, which he’d left inside Moulton’s apartment, be returned to him.

Before he released the bag to Heskett, Glidewell said, he searched it. Inside, among Heskett’s belongings, Glidewell said he found two check receipts from the Kansas Department of Revenue in Moulton’s name totaling more than $13,000, various financial documents of Moulton’s and a bottle of hydrocodone prescribed to Moulton.

Glidewell said he considered Heskett’s possession of Moulton’s financial records and medicine “suspicious circumstances,” and that’s when he began investigating the scene as a homicide.

The day of the death, detectives interviewed Moulton’s longtime friend John “Randy” Pipkin. Pipkin testified Friday that Moulton had been saving his money to purchase an accessible van so friends could drive him. Pipkin said Moulton was putting his money in a safe deposit box at Bank of America.

Lawrence Bank of America assistant manager Katie Proctor testified Friday that Moulton did have a safe deposit box at the bank and that Moulton visited the box five times from November 2013 until May 2014.

Proctor said on Sept. 25, after Moulton’s death, police asked her to open Moulton’s safe deposit box as part of their investigation. When she opened the box, Proctor said she found it empty.

According to the affidavit justifying his arrest, Heskett claimed Moulton’s death was an assisted suicide. Heskett told investigators that Moulton had asked him to kill him many times before the morning of Sept. 12, according to the affidavit. Heskett said when Moulton asked again that day, he gave in because Moulton told him “he just wanted to walk with his mother again.”

At Moulton’s request, Heskett said, he twisted a towel around Moulton’s neck, balled it up on one side and told Moulton to lie on the towel, according to the affidavit. Because of his disability, Moulton was unable to hold the towel himself.

Heskett said that after what “seemed like forever,” Moulton died and Heskett called his employer and police.

Mitchell, the coroner, said that Moulton had little mobility; the only limb he could control was one of his arms. Mitchell said that due to Heskett’s limited dexterity it would be “unlikely” for him to be able to kill himself with the towel.

“It is difficult to accomplish for someone with dexterity,” Mitchell said. “It is unlikely for someone without mobility.”

Trinity In-Home Care assistant director Scott Criqui said Friday that Heskett told him shortly before reporting Moulton dead that Moulton had joked about killing himself or having Heskett kill him that morning. Criqui said Heskett seemed “jovial,” but that would soon change when Heskett became “hysterical” while reporting Moulton dead.

Criqui testified that he had known Moulton for about four or five years before his death and he never heard Moulton talk about suicide.

Pipkin also said that in his ten years of friendship with Moulton, Moulton “didn’t ever talk about taking his own life.” However, Pipkin testified, the man’s disability made his life difficult.

“He had an awful life. He had a lot of struggle,” Pipkin said. “But he had highs and lows. I’ve seen a lot of joy and I’ve seen him break down.”

Pipkin and Criqui both testified that Heskett and Moulton were close.

“They were buddies,” Pipkin said.

Heskett’s preliminary hearing will resume April 10, when District Judge Peggy Kittel will decide if there is probable cause to bind him over for trial. Heskett is currently in the Douglas County Jail on a $500,000 bond.