Nicholas Sutton

Serial Killer

Nicholas Todd Sutton: A Series of Murders in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Prison

Early Life and Escalating Violence

Nicholas Todd Sutton was born on July 15, 1961, in Morristown, Tennessee. Commonly known as "Nicky," he experienced an unstable childhood marked by family disruption, exposure to substance abuse, and repeated behavioral problems. After the death of his father, Sutton lived with his grandmother, Dorothy Virginia Sutton, a retired schoolteacher who supported him financially and attempted to provide him with a stable home. By his late teens, Sutton had developed a serious drug habit and was frequently involved in disputes concerning money, narcotics, and property. His confirmed killings began in 1979, when he was only eighteen years old. Three people connected to him personally were killed within a period of several months. Years later, while serving multiple life sentences, Sutton participated in the fatal stabbing of another prisoner.

The Murder of John Michael Large

John Michael Large was a nineteen-year-old childhood friend of Sutton. The two young men had also shared an apartment in Knoxville, Tennessee. Large disappeared in August 1979 after becoming involved in a dispute with Sutton that reportedly concerned money intended for a cocaine transaction. Sutton later admitted that he arranged to meet Large at a rural family property near Waterville in Haywood County, North Carolina. Sutton claimed that the confrontation occurred sometime between August 10 and August 22, 1979. Because the precise day was never firmly established in the available court and news accounts, Large's death is generally placed within that date range. According to Sutton's confession, Large arrived at the property on a motorcycle and the two men argued. Sutton alleged that Large fired a gun at him before they began fighting inside or near a barn. Sutton struck Large with a wooden object and used a dog chain during the assault. He then forced a piece of wood into Large's mouth or throat. An autopsy later determined that Large died from blunt-force trauma to the head. After the killing, Sutton dragged Large's body away from the immediate scene and buried him in a shallow grave near Mount Sterling, North Carolina. Large remained missing until Sutton led investigators to the burial site in April 1980. The remains were exhumed and examined in Chapel Hill, and North Carolina authorities subsequently obtained a murder warrant for Sutton. ...

Confirmed Victims: (4)

Dorothy Virginia Sutton Age: (58), Date of Death: 1979-12-25

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