Accused killer returns; wants quick trial

• A Muncie man accused of brutally killing a local woman in 2009 wants a "speedy" trial.
• Danny L. Saintignon Jr., 33, is charged with murder, robbery and conspiracy to commit burglary.
• Authorities allege he fatally stabbed Monica Brown, 35-year-old mother of 4, on Christmas Eve 2009.
• An initial hearing in Saintignon's case is set for 1:30 p.m. Monday in Delaware Circuit Court 3.

MUNCIE – Danny Lee Saintignon Jr. wasted little time in reacting to allegations he brutally killed a Muncie woman in her home more than five years ago.

Last week, prosecutors Zach Craig and Eric Hoffman charged Saintignon — a 33-year-old Muncie felon — with murder, robbery and conspiracy to commit burglary in the Christmas Eve 2009 slaying of Monica Brown.

In court documents, authorities allege Saintignon fatally stabbed the 35-year-old mother of four children after going to her Kinney Avenue home intending to steal a large quantity of prescription medication.

In March 2014, Saintignon was sentenced to 23 years in prison for his role in a 2013 armed home invasion at a local couple's westside apartment.

On Thursday, the felon was transferred from the Miami Correctional Facility, north of Kokomo, to the Delaware County jail for an initial hearing on the murder-related charges, now set for 1:30 p.m. Monday.

Within hours of his arrival in Muncie, Saintignon had filed a motion in his case, asking Delaware Circuit Court 3 Judge Linda Ralu Wolf for a "speedy" trial. Such requests usually require prosecutors to bring defendants to trial within 70 days.

A co-defendant in the case, Tyler J. Barton, 25, of Muncie, was charged last week with conspiracy to commit burglary, attempted burglary and assisting a criminal.

Barton is accused of conspiring with Saintignon to steal pills from Brown, but was not in the victim's house when the slaying took place, authorities said.

Barton — being held in the Delaware County jail under a $70,000 bond — is set to appear at an initial hearing Thursday. Two of the charges against him are Class A felonies carrying maximum 50-year prison terms.

While Saintignon has a long criminal history and at least seven felony convictions, Barton's record appears to be limited to a 2012 conviction for drunken driving.

Contact news reporter Douglas Walker at (765) 213-5851. You can also follow him on Twitter @DouglasWalkerSP.