Man who allegedly lined bathroom with plastic to dismember girlfriend and hide her remains admits he killed her

Left: Troy Slaw (Macon County Jail). Right: Norma Crutchfield (Decatur Police Department).

An Illinois man pleaded guilty to murdering and chopping up his girlfriend in 2020 and disposing of the remains that have yet to be located, prosecutors say.

Troy Slaw, 47, entered the plea on Friday in the brutal death of 41-year-old Norma J. Crutchfield, according to the Macon County Prosecutor’s Office. A criminal complaint obtained by Law&Crime says Crutchfield’s mother reported her missing on Nov. 20, 2020, after she hadn’t checked in for a week. Crutchfield had been living with Slaw at a home in the 1100 block of East Olive Street in Decatur. Her mother was concerned something bad may have happened because Slaw had previously been abusive, the complaint said.

Decatur police detectives interviewed a man named Chase Freeman, 24, a few weeks after the disappearance. After receiving his Miranda warnings, he allegedly said that Slaw had called him sometime during November and asked him to come over to his house after someone broke in. Freeman came over and Slaw took him to a bedroom closet where he showed him a woman inside who had been stabbed to death, according to the affidavit. The body appeared to have been there for days, Freeman reportedly told detectives. Freeman identified the woman as Crutchfield after cops showed him a picture of her.

“Chase advised Troy told him that he had stabbed the woman in the chest and killed her,” the complaint said. “Chase stated Troy had lined the bathroom with shower curtains, window curtains and plastic.”

The whole bathroom was covered and there was an electric saw on the table in the living room and black contractor bags everywhere, Freeman reportedly said. At first Freeman denied disposing of the body but later admitted to cops that he did help, investigators said. In a subsequent interview, Freeman reportedly told detectives about how he and Slaw discussed ways to get rid of Crutchfield’s body.

More on Law&Crime: Man prepped basement with tarp, saws before chopping up woman on first date and disposing of remains ‘throughout the city’: Cops

Slaw allegedly offered Freeman $200 to chop up the body and dispose of the remains in bags in trash containers outside various residential homes. Freeman advised Slaw that he thought that was a “bad idea” because many homes are equipped with security cameras, cops wrote. Slaw then suggested throwing the bags in a lake but Freeman was concerned that the bags would float, the affidavit said.

Freeman allegedly described to detectives how he and Slaw moved the body from the closet to the bathroom where it was to be chopped up. Freeman refused to participate in the dismemberment and left, the complaint said. He stood guard outside as a lookout as Slaw cut up the body. The next day Freeman allegedly helped Slaw clean up bloodstains throughout the home. Freeman then transported two contractor-style bags to his home that each weighed between 40 and 60 pounds and placed them in a large garbage can, the complaint said.

“When asked if he thought Norma’s body was inside those bags he stated, most likely,” cops wrote.

Cops have never recovered Crutchfield’s remains.

Police searched Slaw’s home and discovered blood that belonged to Crutchfield, according to the affidavit. In 2022, investigators ruled Crutchfield dead and charged Slaw with first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, dismembering a human body and concealment of homicidal death. He pleaded guilty Friday to first-degree murder while the other charges were dismissed, prosecutors say. A judge will sentence him on Sept. 4.

Prosecutors charged Freeman with dismembering a human body and concealment of homicidal death. His case is ongoing and he has a court date scheduled for Sept. 5.

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