Nathan Middleton Arrested on Charges of Destroying Aprina Paul’s Body, Drug Possession, and Pandering

This news came out late yesterday afternoon and updated during the local evening news.  The charges—that Nathan Middleton burned Aprina Paul’s body and that Middleton was using drugs at the time—were a given. The authorities have enough evidence to send him back to prison for a decade, but not for murder. They also admit that it may be close to impossible to ascertain how the young woman actually died from the bone fragments.

The pandering charge—that Middleton admitted to soliciting Aprina Paul for the purpose of prostitution or sex in exchange for money (using Craigslist)—is a new one, but like the other charges, not surprising coming from Middleton.  If a man (or even a woman) goes to a particular area of Craigslist, no matter in what city, or even abroad, and places an ad using euphemisms like “partying” or “having fun,” when what they mean is anonymous sex encounters, more often than not someone is going to get a pro at this kind of thing.  One does not have to be a prostitute in order to participate, just experienced and willing.  And money may or may not be involved.

This is a screenshot of what a sexually-inclined individual might expect on the Madison Craigslist’s Casual Encounters subsection, where Nathan Middleton may have placed his ad.  Even the Personals section is not for innocents, and as always, one must be careful that one does not catch a bug—or catch hell (Courtesy: Craigslist)

From Channel 13 in Rock County:

On November 13, detectives charged Middleton with the following:

Hiding a Corpse
Mutilating a Corpse
Pandering
Possession of THC
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
Failure to Notify Coroner of Death

If forensic testing of the bone fragments indicates a cause of death, Middleton may face additional charges. He is scheduled to appear in court again on Thursday, November 14.

But Middleton did not appear in court today as expected, and may not until further notice.  Reason?  The criminal complaint, it was reported, was still not ready.

It’s very interesting that the drug charges were spelled out: possession of THC (marijuana), and possession of drug paraphrenalia (like a pipe or rolling papers).  Middleton was adamant that Aprina took some “unknown drug” that may have been a factor in her death.  Hell, in those situations, Middleton would be curious about what she was taking and would want her to share.  However, it would be equally plausible that he may have offered her something that knocked her out.  Sheriff Spoden himself said that he was suspicious that Middleton wouldn’t have known what the drug was that Aprina took.  Overall, it seemed to me like this was yet another occurrence of recreational drug use, and not a meeting of addicts.

Returning to the charge of pandering: Aprina’s mother, Alice Larrue, refuses to believe that her daughter may have been a prostitute.

“I know deep in my heart. I feel it. I know that he killed my daughter,” mother Alice Larrue says.

It has been a tough two weeks for Larrue, who says the worst thing besides her daughter Aprina being gone is hearing Middleton’s explanation of what happened.

“I know my daughter wasn’t a prostitute. I know my daughter wasn’t a drug addict. I know these things,” Larrue says.

Middleton was interviewed by detectives after he called officials and told them that Paul’s body could be found in a burn barrel in his back yard. He says Paul died from a drug overdose after the two had sex at his Evansville home. He told detectives he met Paul after posting an ad on Craigslist asking for sex.

“That’s his side of the story. I don’t agree with that. I don’t believe that and Aprina is not here to give her side of the story,” Larrue says.

Then what in the world was Aprina doing leaving with this guy at 10 p.m. at night without telling someone what she was up to, who Middleton was, and where she was going?  It seems Aprina did not want her mother to know what she was up to, because she did not want to run the risk of being prevented from going off with Middleton.  Aprina was 18 and of age, but it appears at bottom that Aprina had what some people can’t fathom of their own children: that they have another life, either under or beyond the notice or understanding of their parents.  A life that may involve using illegal drugs or engaging in risky sex.  A life that they are willing to pursue until it is of no more use to them.

Why would Alice Larrue insist that Aprina “never” was a prostitute?  What if it is later proven that she was?  Because something like this would reflect on Larrue’s dignity as a mother, and most importantly, it would deflect others from the irrefutable fact that the larger and stronger Nathan Middleton was the last human being to see the 5’3″ Aprina alive.  In other words, Middleton becomes the victim and not Aprina.  It was her fault that she died. This society tends to view prostitutes or hookers as less than women, less than human and expendable even as murder victims.  This may be what Middleton is counting on.

Add the fact that Aprina was a black woman to the mix, and it becomes even more upsetting to her family and friends that the authorities may take all these factors into account when they bring Middleton to trial.  Count on it: it is the lack of evidence that Aprina was murdered that is keeping Middleton from getting a murder one charge.  A corpus delicti.  Even her cell phone has not been found.  Her clothes and her purse and its contents were burned as well.

As I said before, I am not going to be finger-pointing at Aprina, because Nathan Middleton is alive and Aprina Paul is dead.  I still think that Middleton may have killed Aprina, and that it was not an accident.  That’s why he went to the extreme of burning her body to destroy the evidence of his culpability.  Don’t even think that the cops don’t know this.  Aprina did not deserve her fate; she deserves justice, even to have been herself.  I think that is what people should focus on.  Nobody deserves that kind of end.  Nobody.

Related articles

• Mom hopes people learn from daughter’s disappearance (channel3000.com)
• Middleton arrested in death of Fitchburg woman (channel3000.com)

~ by blksista on November 14, 2013.