Charles Sweetwood, aged 53, was found dead in his apartment in Redding, California, on May 7, 2013. His death was the result of a single gunshot wound to the back of his head, and it was later determined that he had been murdered on May 1, 2013. The initial investigation by the Redding Police Department identified Matthew Wade Hartman and Carleen Annette Honaker as potential suspects. However, due to insufficient evidence, no arrests were made at that time, and the case went cold after about seven months.
Years later, in early 2018, Investigator Rusty Bishop reopened the case. Through persistent efforts, including new tests on existing evidence and the acquisition of additional evidence, Bishop was able to build a stronger case against the suspects. In August 2019, the Redding Police Department arrested Hartman and Honaker. Hartman, who was 36 at the time of his arrest, faced charges of burglary, robbery, and murder.
Honaker, who had moved away from Redding, was also arrested and faced similar charges. Both were held in Shasta County Jail with bail set at $1 million each.
The motive behind the murder was revealed during the investigation and subsequent trial. It was discovered that Hartman harbored a strong hatred for Sweetwood and had planned to rob him of his prescription medications, which Sweetwood had picked up from a local pharmacy on the day of his murder. Hartman intended to humiliate Sweetwood during the robbery, but instead, he executed him in his apartment bathroom. Sweetwood's body was discovered by his daughter on May 7, 2013.
The case went to trial, and in June 2023, a Shasta County jury found Hartman guilty of first-degree murder with special circumstances. The trial was an emotional ordeal for Sweetwood's family, particularly his daughter, who had been diligent in seeking justice for her father. Hartman was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in September 2023. The resolution of this cold case brought some measure of closure to Sweetwood's family, who had endured years of uncertainty and grief.
