(snip ... )
''The only thing he had on was a pair of socks,'' Weaver said. ''And they had duct-taped his hands, his wrists. He had duct tape over his eyes, and they gagged him with a red rag or something.''
''And they even had duct tape around his neck. And they had like his identification tag on his neck. They had it duct-taped to the side of his neck, on the right side, almost on his right shoulder.''
Two people briefed on the investigation said various details of Weaver's account matched the details of the crime scene, though both people said they were not informed who found the body. The two spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case.
Weaver said he couldn't tell if the tag was a Census Bureau ID because he didn't get close enough to read it. But both of the people briefed on the investigation confirmed Sparkman's Census ID was found taped to his head and shoulder area.
Weaver said he could see something written on Sparkman's chest but he did not go close enough to read it.
While authorities confirmed for the first time Thursday that asphyxiation was the cause of death, even the details behind that were murky. According to a Kentucky State Police statement, the body was hanging from a tree with a noose around the neck, yet it was in contact with the ground.
Weaver, who works for a family topsoil business in Fairfield, said he was in town for a family reunion and was visiting family grave sites at the cemetery when he and family members including his wife and daughter came across the body.
The scene left Weaver without a doubt how Sparkman died.
''He was murdered,'' he said. ''There's no doubt.''
more ...
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/200...s-Worker-Hanged.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss