Camden House 'Spotless' After Man Was Dismembered With Chainsaw In Basement: Report

CAMDEN, NJ — A man was killed and dismembered in a Camden house, authorities said. When detectives entered the house days later, it was spotless, according to NJ Advance Media.

Last week, three family members from Camden were arrested after authorities say the father fatally shot a man and had his wife and son dismember the victim's body in June.

Everton Thomas, 41, was charged Sept. 5 with murder in the death of Harold “Hal” Miller Jr., 48, of Deptford. His wife, Sherrie Parker, and son, Deshawn Thomas, have been accused of dismembering Miller's body with a chainsaw and hiding his remains.

• Read more: NJ Family Dismembered Body With Chainsaw After Fatal Shooting, Prosecutor Says

Deshawn Thomas, 22, made the family's first court appearance in the case with a pretrial detention hearing Tuesday, when prosecutors revealed new details in the case.

A judge ruled to keep Deshawn Thomas jailed pretrial, according to court records.

No Known Motive

Miller's body still wasn't found as of Tuesday, and prosecutors said they haven't determined a motive in the case, according to NJ Advance Media.

Tamika Miller, Harold Miller's ex-wife, said the victim knew Everton Thomas but didn't consider him a friend, according to the media outlet. She believes they met through an acquaintance.

Harold Miller drove for a medical transport company and attended church on Sundays. Although he and Tamika divorced a few years ago, they remained friendly and met at least monthly to discuss their four children, who are now adults.

"He was always involved with his children, everyday life with his children," Tamika Miller told NJ Advance Media.

Son Searched If Chainsaw Can Cut Through Meat: Prosecutors

Harold Miller entered the family's Camden home the morning of June 12 — hours after his family members said he was playing cards with friends in the city, authorities said.

Surveillance footage in the area captured a gunshot, and Miller was never seen leaving the Baird Boulevard house, according to court documents.

Investigators interviewed two witnesses who lived in the house. One witness heard the gunshot, and Deshawn Thomas told them he heard it too, prosecutors said at Tuesday's detention hearing.

Prosecutors said Deshawn Thomas also told the witness that Parker let Miller into the house and that his father shot him when he entered, according to NJ Advance Media.

After the killing, Everton woke Deshawn up and asked him to help "chop up" a body, according to witness testimony cited in court documents.

Cellphone data from June 12 showed Deshawn Thomas searched to internet for whether a chainsaw can cut through meat, Camden County Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Spittal said Tuesday.

Everton Thomas prohibited a witness from entering the basement in the days after the shooting, according to court documents.

Meanwhile, Parker and Deshawn Thomas bought a chainsaw, containers, trash bags and other cleaning supplies in the ensuing days. They made several trips to he Tamarack Apartments dumpsters in Camden and then loaded several containers and trash bags into a vehicle before leaving the city, authorities said.

Spotless House

Detectives searched the family's home on June 20 — eight days after the alleged killing. Everton Thomas was questioned that day but released from custody without charges.

He fled to Canada the next day, authorities said.

During the search, detectives found suspected bloodstains in the kitchen and on a basement doorframe. DNA testing later confirmed the blood was Miller's, prosecutors said.

But other than that, the house was in pristine condition.

"I would note that this house was spotless," Spittal said, according to NJ Advance Media. "And when I say spotless, there wasn’t a piece of dirt on the ground. There wasn’t a smell coming from the home."

The extensive cleanup came after a chaotic series of events, according to court documents.

A witness who lived in the home reported hearing the gunshot on June 12, followed by loud music and extensive cleaning in the basement. The witness also smelled a "strong odor resembling that of a decomposing body" and heard power tools being used in the basement, according to a statement of probable cause.

Court Proceedings

All three suspects were arrested Sept. 8 — three days after they were charged in the case.

Parker, 41, and Deshawn Thomas were arrested in Camden.

Everton Thomas was detained by U.S. Customs agents at the Port of Buffalo after crossing from Canada into the United States on a commercial bus, authorities said.

Everton Thomas was charged with first-degree murder. All three suspects were charged with second-degree desecration of human remains and fourth-degree tampering with evidence.

All three remain jailed.

At Tuesday's hearing, Spittal said Deshawn Thomas pleaded guilty to sexual assault while serving in the U.S. Army, according to NJ Advance Media. He was sentenced to 170 days of confinement and a bad-conduct discharge form the military.

He is appealing the Army conviction, said attorney Felicia B. Felder, who sought his pretrial release. Felder said Deshawn Thomas has ties to the community and isn't a flight risk, according to NJ Advance Media.

Superior Court Judge Gwendolyn Blue called the alleged crimes "barbaric," says NJ Advance Media. Blue ruled to keep Deshawn Thomas detained, saying he poses a danger to the community and could obstruct the investigation.

Parker is set to appear in court Tuesday for a pretrial detention hearing, while Deshawn Thomas will return to court Oct. 8 for a pre-indictment conference.

After Everton Thomas's arrest, prosecutors moved to extradite him from New York to New Jersey. It wasn't immediately clear Thursday where he's jailed or when he'll first appear in Camden County Superior Court.

Here's NJ Advance Media's full report.