Baggage claim sticker leads cops to suspect charged with butchering man, stuffing remains in suitcase

A suspect accused of killing a man and stuffing his butchered body parts in a suitcase was caught thanks to a rudimentary oversight – his name was on the luggage.

Benjamin Satterthwaite, 28, was charged Tuesday with the murder of 33-year-old Joshua Lockard, whose remains were discovered in suitcases by two city employees in southwest Denver on Dec. 29.

Satterthwaite was originally linked to the case when investigators at the scene noticed that one of the suitcases had a United Airlines baggage claim sticker with the name “Satterthwaite” and “Den,” according to a police affidavit obtained by KMGH-TV.

On New Year’s Day, police officers responded to Satterthwaite’s apartment, where they found a woman who had died from an apparent drug overdose. Satterthwaite was lying unconscious next to the woman’s body, also from a possible drug overdose, authorities said.

Satterthwaite was taken to a hospital, where police obtained his fingerprints. Meanwhile, investigators with a warrant to search his home found a suitcase in the apartment similar to the one found at the crime scene, and an excessive amount of blood on a couch, in the bathroom and bathtub, according to court records.

Police also discovered a bloody saw blade that the suspect had bought from a Walmart on Dec. 27.

Investigators said they believe the alleged murderer and his victim knew each other, but did not reveal the nature of the relationship between the two men.

Lockhard was last seen on Dec. 26, when friends of his told cops they dropped him off at a school after driving him to cash a check. They also said he was struggling with a meth addiction and had been recently kicked out of a rehab facility, the outlet reported.

Satterthwaite was eventually arrested on Jan. 8, and has now been charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence.

He is being held at the Denver Detention Center without bond.