Wellington slaying suspect had record

Excerpt

Ivory Lee Darton III, 57, a Wellington man charged with murder in the Saturday slaying of another Wellington resident, has an extensive criminal history, including a 1977 aggravated assault that resu…

Ivory Lee Darton III, 57, a Wellington man charged with murder in the Saturday slaying of another Wellington resident, has an extensive criminal history, including a 1977 aggravated assault that resulted in the death of a 21-year-old woman, records show.

State records show Darton was already serving a 10-year deferred adjudication sentence for a violent crime when Darton was charged with killing Hinacio Contreras, 51, of Wellington, during a domestic disturbance about 4 a.m. Saturday. Collingsworth County Sheriff Joe Stewart said Contreras and Helena Darton, 48, suffered severe bodily injuries at a north Wellington home. An ambulance transported both to Collingsworth General Hospital, but Contreras died en route, he said.

A defendant placed on deferred adjudication, a form of judge-ordered community supervision, avoids a conviction or sentence because the judge is authorized to delay any finding of guilt as long as the defendant successfully complies with the conditions of supervision.

Collingsworth County deputies booked Ivory Darton into the county jail on charges of murder and aggravated assault. He remained in jail Wednesday, the sheriff's office said.

Stewart did not return calls Wednesday. It was unclear what condition Helena Darton was in and autopsy results on Contreras have not been released.

Ivory Darton had been involved in a fatal assault before, records show.

Lillie Maxine Sterling, 21, was beaten so badly about the head and chest the bloody scene led investigators to think she had been shot to death, police said at the time. Police found a .22-caliber handgun on the floorboard of the car in which she died on Aug. 13, 1977, leading them to believe she'd been shot in the head several times, but an autopsy revealed she'd been beaten to death, investigators said.

"(Darton) struck a 21-year-old female with a pistol," said Jason Clark, a Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman. "She shot him in the shoulder. He grabbed the pistol and struck her in the head. He struck a deal with prosecutors and ended up (in prison)."

A judge sentenced Darton to five years in prison on an aggravated assault charge, but he only served 409 days then was placed on parole for 10 years, records show.

Before the fatal assault in 1977, police arrested Darton for driving under the influence of alcohol and later for a probation violation, Department of Public Safety records show.

DPS records said in 2002 Darton again ran afoul of the law, and was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was placed on 10 years' deferred adjudication, state records show.