State police allege that a Butler man stabbed James S. Martin to death in his home and robbed him of valuables after arranging a private meeting through Craigslist.

Christopher M. Cannon, 27, who police had previously arrested on fraud charges for using Martin's bank cards, was charged and arraigned Friday on criminal homicide and other charges.

Martin, 74, on Dec. 31 was found dead in his home on Tenth Street in East Butler. An autopsy revealed that he had died of multiple stab wounds to the head, neck, chest and back.

Cannon and Raheem R. Archer, 23, of Butler Township, were arrested in January after they were caught allegedly using Martin's debit cards to make purchases at two stores.

According to the criminal complaint, Martin had made a posting on Craigslist.com on Dec. 30. A user listed as “j hampton” responded to the post via e-mail with the words “whats up” and included a sexually explicit photograph of himself.

They exchanged several messages and at 2:59 p.m. j hampton sent a message stating he could be at the house in 10 minutes.

Police were able to view the messages after getting a search warrant for Martin's America Online e-mail account.

Though they could not confirm that Cannon was behind the j hampton account, they managed to connect him to the case several other ways.

Cannon's girlfriend was interviewed by police twice during the investigation, according to the complaint.

She viewed the sexually explicit photograph that was sent to Martin via e-mail and confirmed that it was of Cannon and was taken in her living room based on the coffee table and other objects in the background.

She also told police that Cannon had claimed to be at Archer's house in Butler on New Year's Eve and that he had come back on Jan. 1 with fresh cuts on his hand.

A search of Cannon's cell phone records revealed that he had made several calls on Dec. 30. A call at 2:26 p.m. used a cell tower in the city of Butler, while a call made at 4:28 p.m. used the Lick Hill cell tower, which is the tower that would be used from Martin's house.

Martin, described as compassionate and always willing to lend a hand by friends and acquaintances, was born in Kittanning and had lived in the area for more than 30 years.

He worked as a dog enforcement officer for the state of Pennsylvania and was a licensed judge with the American Kennel Club, according to his obituary.

Police also allege that Cannon took numerous valuable items from Martin's house including three firearms, gold jewelry and two of his bank cards.

Cannon, Archer and Shauna Cress allegedly used the cards several times after his death, according to the police complaint.

On the night of Dec. 30 and in the early hours of Dec. 31, Cannon and Cress were allegedly captured on security cameras using Martin's cards to make purchases at Walmart in Butler Township, Sheetz in Butler Township and Longhorn Corral in Franklin Township, where Cress had rented a room.

Later in the day on Dec. 31, one of Martin's cards was denied and the other one accepted at the Giant Eagle in Center Township for a $413.09 purchase. Store records show that Archer's Giant Eagle Advantage card was swiped both times. Also on Dec. 31, Cannon and Archer were seen on surveillance footage making a $206.95 purchase at a Giant Eagle in Beaver County with one of Martin's cards.

Archer and Cannon were arrested on Jan. 5 and charged with access device fraud and receiving stolen property. Archer was also charged with felony drug possession because police say they found a half-dozen baggies of marijuana in the trunk of his car.

After Cannon's arrest, police carried out a search warrant on his apartment, car and the room at Longhorn Corral. They found blood or blood-stained clothing at all three locations.

In an interview with police, Cress said that she had texted Cannon on Dec. 30 about getting crack cocaine together and he indicated that he had come into some money. She said that she rented the hotel room with a gift card that Cannon gave her. He allegedly brought a backpack with three guns inside and two wooden boxes containing jewelry and coins into the room. She also said that he paid her $20 to pawn a gold necklace.

Cress had not been charged with any crimes in connection with the case as of Friday.

Cannon's new set of charges include criminal homicide, robbery, theft by unlawful taking, access device fraud and criminal conspiracy.

Already being held in the Butler County Prison, he was arraigned by District Judge Lewis E. Stoughton Friday afternoon and is being held without bail.