A murder investigation Tuesday evening in Plano led detectives to DFW Airport where they arrested a California man at around 5:30 Wednesday morning.
Plano police and fire were dispatched to the 4600 block of Bending Oak Trail at about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday after someone who lived at the home called 911 to report finding a deceased man in the backyard.
Independent photojournalist Lilly Ferguson had been listening to police scanners and rushed to the scene Tuesday evening.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
“A call came in about a deceased person in a backyard,” she said. “There was a lot of blood in the house.”
The victim has been identified as 69-year-old Patrick King from Elburn, Illinois.
Plano PD spokeswoman officer Jennifer Chapman says King suffered ‘blunt force trauma,’ but the medical examiner’s office will determine cause and manner of death.
Hours after detectives arrived on scene, they identified the murder suspect and tracked him down at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
Andrew James Swetland, 39, from Los Angeles is booked into the Collin County Jail on a murder charge.
Police are not yet providing a possible motive, how and where exactly at DFW the arrest unfolded or whether Swetland had booked a flight after the brutal attack.
Swetland and King were known to each other, police said, and the slaying was not a random act of violence. Plano police confirmed to NBC 5 that Swetland is the homeowner's brother-in-law and King was visiting the homeowner.
Police tape wrapped around several sections of the quiet well-to-do neighborhood off Hedgcoxe Road.
Crime scene investigators were seen walking in and out of the house, wearing protective clothing.
Detectives went house to house, looking for any home surveillance video that could help in the investigation.
Officers also temporarily closed the alleyway to traffic to gather any potential evidence.
A neighbor told NBC 5 that the family that lives in the house only recently moved in.
Curious neighbors walked or rode by the scene, worried the incident may have been a random attack.
“I’m shocked that it’s in our neighborhood and I hope there’s a reason for this and not random,” said nearby resident Donna who did not want to share her last name.
Chapman tried to put anxious neighbors at ease, stressing the incident was isolated.
“Plano’s always been a safe community. We consider ourselves a safe community,” she said. “This was not a random act of violence. These two people knew each other, and our detectives worked diligently and quickly through the night to make this arrest.”
Police said Swetland awaited arraignment Wednesday morning. It's unclear if he's obtained an attorney to speak on his behalf.
The investigation into King's death is ongoing.
