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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Man sentenced to 27 years for killing, dismemberment of Renton nurse and mother

By Sara Jean Green The Seattle Times

John Robert Charlton — who strangled his girlfriend, dismembered her in a bathtub with a pruning saw, then disposed of her body parts in Seattle’s Central District — was sentenced to nearly three decades in prison on Friday for the April 2016 murder of Ingrid Lyne.

Charlton, now 39, pleaded guilty in October to first-degree murder in the death of Lyne, a 40-year-old nurse and divorced mother of three girls.

King County Superior Court Judge Julie Spector sentenced Charlton to 27¾ years in prison, a punishment jointly recommended by the state and defense that is at the high end of Charlton’s standard sentencing range.

Charlton and Lyne, who met online and had dated for about a month, had planned to attend a Seattle Mariners game together on April 8, 2016. After the game, they went to a bar — where Charlton got drunk — then returned to Lyne’s house in Renton.

Police say Charlton told detectives he woke the next morning on a sidewalk in downtown Seattle, which is where detectives later found Lyne’s 2015 Toyota Highlander — a vehicle Charlton also pleaded guilty to stealing.

The following morning, Lyne’s ex-husband arrived at her house to drop off their daughters but Lyne wasn’t there, so he called her mother, Jorga Bass. Together, they went inside and found Lyne’s wallet, cellphone and other personal belongings.

Bass, who shared a phone account with her daughter, noted numerous calls to and from a phone number with a Montana area code later traced to Charlton. She exchanged a few texts with Charlton, explained Lyne was missing and that the family had called 911.

That afternoon, a man living near 21st Avenue and East Pine Street discovered human remains in his recently emptied recycling bin and notified Seattle police. Detectives determined the remains were Lyne’s, court records say.

Over the next few days, more remains were found in a cooler on 20th Avenue between East Union and Marion streets and at a recycling center on South Hanford Street.

Detectives also found a 15-inch pruning saw in the bathroom of Lyne’s Renton home and discovered blood and flesh in her bathtub drain, say the charges against Charlton. They also found garbage bags that appeared identical to the ones containing Lyne’s body parts.

Charlton, who was arrested April 11, 2016, told detectives he was homeless, had a drinking problem and was “not a normal person,” according to the charging documents.