Shivangi Sinha
In July 2012, police arrived at the home of Paul Cotton and discovered that he had passed away. He had sustained multiple injuries, leading investigators to believe that he had been physically assaulted and killed. Authorities immediately began searching for clues and soon noticed that Paul’s car was missing from the scene. Their efforts to track down the vehicle eventually led them to a person who later became the primary suspect in the case. A&E’s ‘The First 48’ season 15, particularly the episode ‘Trust No One/Risky Business,’ explores the investigation in detail and shows how detectives gradually pieced together the evidence surrounding the crime.
Paul Cotton Passed Away From an Injury to His Head
Paul Cotton, also known as “PC,” spent almost his entire life in Cleveland. His parents, Archie Cotton and Catherine Cotton, raised him and his two sisters, Carolyn Cotton and Marica Cotton, in a loving and close-knit home. Paul was known as a courteous and well-mannered boy from a young age. As he grew older, he often accompanied his father on pick-up and drop-off jobs, and many neighbors remarked on what a pleasant and respectful young man he had become. Paul continued living at the family home on Locke Avenue, and after the passing of his parents, he became the one who hosted his sisters and their families there, keeping the family closely connected.
Paul was a devoted uncle to his nephews and nieces and was always willing to open his home to family members whenever they needed support. Having grown up in the neighborhood, both Paul and his family were widely known and loved by the local community. On July 7, 2012, one of Paul’s sisters went to check on him at his home and found him lying on the floor. She immediately called 911, but by the time emergency responders arrived, Paul had already passed away. Investigators determined that his body was in rigor mortis and estimated that he had died around five to six hours before help arrived. Paul had suffered a severe head injury, which was later identified as the cause of death. He also had several additional injuries that indicated he had been the victim of a violent assault.
Paul Cotton’s Killer Had Been Living in His House Before the Incident
Detectives discovered that Paul Cotton had been living with his nephew, Kethan Arney, at the house for some time. However, Kethan was nowhere to be found, and Paul’s vehicle, a 1991 Ford Taurus, was also missing from the property. Investigators issued a BOLO for the car and attempted to contact Kethan to have him come in for an interview. He eventually agreed and appeared at the police station, where he gave detectives his account of the evening of July 7, 2012. Kethan claimed that he had been leaving the house when he noticed two men, one dark-skinned and one light-skinned, walking toward the residence. According to him, he did not recognize either individual and assumed they were friends of his uncle before leaving the area.
Police grew suspicious of Kethan’s account because statements from other witnesses suggested that there had likely been only a single attacker. Despite their suspicions, investigators initially lacked enough physical evidence to directly connect him to the crime, and he continued to remain only a suspect in the case. The investigation progressed when detectives received a tip from an informant who claimed that it was Paul’s nephew who had killed him. Authorities then brought Kethan in for another interrogation and confronted him with the witness statements and inconsistencies in his story. Following the interview, he was taken into custody and charged with aggravated murder. Investigators theorized that a likely argument between Paul and his nephew may have escalated into violence.
Kethan Arney is Behind Bars in an Ohio Prison Today
In early 2013, Kethan Arney eventually pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated robbery and aggravated murder in connection with the death of his uncle, Paul Cotton. In February 2013, he was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 20 years. Authorities believed that a dispute between the two men had escalated into the violent assault that resulted in Paul’s death. Kethan is currently incarcerated at Noble Correctional Institution in Noble County. Now 43 years old, he will first become eligible for parole in 2032.
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