ALBUQUERQUE, NM (AP) – Authorities on Friday accused a man already accused of beating in New Jersey with murder and other charges in New Mexico for the murder of his ex-wife and two of his friends who were lured to death during weeks before being dismembered and their remains placed in plastic boxes.
A sworn arrest warrant statement for Sean Lannon, 47, details the horrific weeks following the shooting death in January of his ex-wife Jennifer Lannon, 39, in the house the couple shared with their three children in the town of Grants , about 80 miles (130 kilometers) west of Albuquerque.
Lannon told investigators during an interview after his arrest in the New Jersey case that he found Jennifer and Jesten Mata, 40, together at home. He claimed that the two were having an affair and had given the children drugs to make them sleep. He said that after Mata left, Jennifer started freaking out because she thought the children were dead.
According to the testimony, Lannon said that Jennifer tried an overdose of heroin, saying that she could not live without the children. She still had a pulse, so he said he shot her in the head. He told the authorities that he planned to kill himself, but then he heard one of the children scream and lower the gun.
Lannon told investigators that he put Jennifer’s body and bedding in a container and placed it in the yard.
It would be a week before he could lure Mata home and kill him, he told investigators. According to authorities, Lannon said Mata showed him a sexually explicit photo. Another week passed before Matthew Miller, 21, came and was also shot in the back of the head. Lannon also accused Miller of selling drugs to his ex-wife and Mata.
The court record alleges that Lannon tried to hide the deaths by telling the police and others that the three friends ran away with a bag full of drugs. The statement states that Lannon used several plastic containers to hide bodies and other items, and that friends unknowingly helped him move the dumpsters along with his other belongings to Albuquerque in mid-February.
Lannon told police that he used saws and knives to dismember Miller and Mata and put them in the containers. Court records also say that carpets and floors have been removed from the Lannons’ home in Grants.
The remains of Jennifer Lannon, Mata and Miller were found in early March in a pickup truck in a parking lot at Albuquerque airport. The body of the truck owner, Randal Apostalon, was also discovered.
Lannon told investigators that he killed the 60-year-old man from Albuquerque on February 24, after he asked for more money to help move the containers to another location. Apostalon was known for offering rides in exchange for money and often did occasional jobs.
Authorities are also investigating Sean Lannon’s allegations that he killed 11 other people in New Mexico, but police said there were no records of missing persons in the area or other police reports that indicated the existence of potential victims.
Authorities said in court documents that Lannon acknowledged the additional murders in a phone call to a relative.
Lannon remains in custody in New Jersey on charges arising from the death of Michael Dabkowski there. Extradition papers have not yet been filed by New Mexico authorities and a lawyer has yet to be appointed.
Lannon is accused of breaking into the 66-year-old man’s home in New Jersey, south of Philadelphia, and beating him to death with a hammer, according to a sworn statement. Lannon told investigators that Dabkowski had sexually abused him as a child and that he had gone home to retrieve sexually explicit photos.
Prosecutors are investigating the allegation of sexual abuse and more.
“There are many aspects of the investigation that we are still following,” said Thomas Gilbert, chief of detectives at the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office. “We are conducting a thorough and thorough investigation and everything related to it.”
Dabkowski’s body was discovered on March 8, three days after the remains were found in New Mexico. Lannon was driving Dabkowski’s car when he was arrested on March 10 in St. Louis, according to authorities, who are not sure why he was in Missouri.
Deputy public defender Ronald Appleby declined to comment on the New Jersey charges. A hearing in this case is scheduled for April 8.
Sean and Jennifer Lannon lived in New Jersey before moving to New Mexico a few years ago – before he filed for divorce.
Judicial records related to the couple’s divorce and custody case showed that Sean Lannon received exclusive custody of the couple’s three children in 2019 and that a protection plan from the New Mexico Department of Children, Youth and Families included only the supervised visit by your mother because of concerns about the potential for neglect due to the abuse of prescription drugs.
Relatives say Sean Lannon flew to New Jersey in early March with the couple’s three children – girls aged 6 and 7 and a boy aged 4. He left them with relatives, claiming that he would return to look for his ex-wife. Her family was already worried, saying it was not normal for her to be without her children.