Crime & Safety

Samuel Kevin Davis Indicted in Slaying of Thirza Sweeten

Davis is charged in the slaying of the 79-year-old Paulsboro resident.

A state grand jury on Wednesday indicted a Paulsboro man accused of killing a great-grandmother who had survived cancer. 

The grand jury, sitting in Woodbury, indicted Samuel Kevin Davis, 46, on charges of first-degree murder, two third-degree counts of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, a second-degree count of aggravated assault, and two fourth-degree counts of unlawful possession of a weapon. 

He is accused of killing 79-year-old Thirza Sweeten inside her Paulsboro home on March 19. She died from both blunt- and sharp-force trauma, and the murder weapons were reportedly found at the scene. The investigation circled Davis from the beginning and he was arrested on June 28. He has been held in the Gloucester County Jail since his arrest. 

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Sweeten’s death shocked her neighbors. A native of Manchester, England, who moved to Paulsboro in the 1970s, she was a regular at Cowtown in Woodstown, and lived on a quiet corner in the borough.

For more of West Deptford Patch’s coverage on the case, see:

Find out what's happening in West Deptfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • Prosecutor: Person Of Interest ID'd in Thirza Sweeten's Death
  • Prosecutor: Investigation Continuing in Thirza Sweeten's Murder
  • Murder Suspect Charged in Thirza Sweeten Case
  • Prosecutors Offer Details Surrounding Arrest in Thirza Sweeten's Murder
  • Samuel Kevin Davis Charged with Thirza Sweeten's Murder
  • Accused Thirza Sweeten Killer Denied Bail Reduction


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