Sutt
A Greenwood man faces up to 71 years in prison for the fatal shooting of his brother’s fiancée over three years ago.
Randy A. Sutt, 47, pleaded guilty to murder and criminal recklessness with a firearm, a Level 5 felony, before Johnson County Circuit Court Judge Andrew Roesener on Monday. Stutt was charged after he fatally shot his brother’s fiancée in the head at point-blank range at their residence in Greenwood, and shot at a responding officer on April 13, 2020.
The murder charge is punishable by 45 to 65 years in prison. The criminal recklessness charge is punishable by 1 to 6 years in prison, according to a Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office news release.
Prosecutors say Sutt will undergo an open sentencing on both charges, meaning that all terms and conditions of his sentence will be determined by the court. If he were to get the maximum sentence for both charges he would spend 71 years in prison.
Chief Deputy Prosecutor Brandon Robinson, who is trying the case, said he was pleased with Stutt’s open plea. He has no doubt it will ensure justice for the victim, he said in the news release.
“I am honored to assist in providing closure for Cecelia’s loved ones,” Robinson said.
Stutt will likely spend the rest of his life in prison, Prosecutor Lance Hamner said in the news release. The victim’s loved ones have been waiting for justice for years, he said.
“They’re pleased that they will finally have a measure of closure to this tragedy,” Hamner said. “They are also pleased that they will not have to go through a trial.”
Three years ago, Sutt told Greenwood police he shot Babcock, whom he lived with at home in the 400 block of Legacy Boulevard because he was “tired of her.” Sutt said he asked Babcock, whom he had known for about seven years, and his brother for a Klonopin, a Schedule IV controlled substance, but they told him no, made fun of him and called him an addict, according to court documents.
The situation made Stutt “very upset,” according to court documents. He texted his brother that he was going to shoot Babcock, retrieved a handgun from a safe in his first-floor bedroom and shot Babcock in a second-floor bathroom, court documents said.
Sutt left the bathroom, went back downstairs and called 911. He told dispatchers he shot someone, according to court documents.
When police arrived, Sutt came out of the house armed with the gun. An officer saw Sutt and told him to drop the gun. Sutt fired at the officer, but missed, hitting a fence right behind the officer about a foot off the ground. The officer returned fire, also missing, according to court documents. While taking cover, the officer fell and was dragged to safety, court documents said.
Sutt went back inside.
Officers made their way around the house to where Sutt was standing when he fired at them. As they approached, an officer yelled “look out” to another officer with his back to a window. The officer turned, saw Sutt standing in the window with a gun and fired multiple rounds into the window, according to court documents. Police body camera footage confirms officers’ accounts of what happened, court documents said.
No one was injured in either shootout, Greenwood police said. A police negotiator later convinced Stutt to disarm and surrender, police said.
When police later asked Sutt if he remembers where he shot Babcock, Sutt told them in or near her head. When police asked him why he shot her, Sutt said “to kill her,” court documents said.
Sutt’s sentencing is set for 9 a.m. on Nov. 6.
