Suspect arrested in Morton murder

By ANDREW McLEMORE

Mark Alan Norwood, the man linked by DNA evidence to the 1986 murder of Christine Morton, was booked into the Williamson County Jail on Wednesday afternoon and charged with capital murder.

Police arrested the 57-year-old at his home in Bastrop after his blood was found on a bandanna with the blood and hair of Ms. Morton, who was bludgeoned to death in bed.

Ms. Morton’s brother John Kirkpatrick found the bandanna 100 yards from the crime scene and handed it over to investigators 25 years ago, but ultimately it was Michael Morton, her husband, who would spend a quarter-century in prison for the crime.

Mr. Norwood was interviewed by a Williamson County detective on August 26 after DNA tied him to the crime, but had “no innocent explanation” for why his blood would be on the bandanna, according to the arrest affidavit.

He told the detective that he lived in the Austin area in 1986, working as a carpet layer, the affidavit said.

Mr. Norwood did not expect to be arrested today, sheriff’s office spokesman John Foster said.

“DNA played a very crucial role in this, you can’t deny that,” Sgt. Foster said. “You can’t deny that an innocent person went to jail over this. We’re looking into all aspects of this case.”

Mr. Norwood has a criminal history in three states, including Texas and California. His prior felony convictions include burglary, drug use and assault with intent to kill.
He has also been linked by DNA evidence to the 1988 murder of Debra Baker.

Michael Morton was released October 4 after it was revealed that Travis County investigators compared the DNA profile from the bandanna to the national DNA database of criminal offenders.

As a result, Mr. Norwood was matched to a hair found in the Baker murder scene.
Sgt. Foster said the sheriff’s office is not involved in the investigation of Mr. Norwood for the Baker murder and would not comment further.

Mr. Morton’s attorneys demanded that Mr. Norwood be arrested when the DNA evidence first emerged in August. Sgt. Foster would not say why it took several months for Mr. Norwood to be arrested after DNA evidence linked him to two murders.

The investigation is ongoing, and Sgt. Foster asked anyone with further information about the case to contact the sheriff’s office at 943-1300.
Mr. Norwood’s bond was set at $750,000.

county@wilcosun.com