Naman Shrestha
The episode titled ‘I’ve Got a Criminal Mind’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Signs Of A Psychopath’ delves deep into the horrific killings of Richard and Janet Sweet inside their Iowa home in the spring of 2012. After news of their sudden deaths broke, shockwaves rippled through the entire community. As the detectives began investigating, they uncovered a family feud that led them to the perpetrator responsible for the gruesome crime.
Richard and Janet Sweet’s Remains Were Found in Their Home by Their Family
Born on December 20, 1956, in Waterloo, Iowa, Richard Lee “Rick” Sweet was the beloved son of Henry A. and Marie Ann Reicherts Sweet. Growing up alongside his brother, Roger A. Sweet, Richard attended Waverly-Shell Rock schools before earning his Associate’s Degree in Aircraft Maintenance from Hawkeye Community College. Before he crossed paths with the love of his life, Janet Mae Pyle Camlin, he had already fathered two daughters in a previous relationship — Stacy Sweet and Alysia Sweet. In 1988, in San Diego, California, he married Janet, who was born on December 5, 1949, to Herbert and Betty Gardner Pyle. The West High School graduate was close with her sister, Virginia Smith, and three brothers — David Roger Pyle, Donald Pyle, and James Lyle “Jim” Pyle.
Like Richard, Janet also had a son, Matthew Camlin, and a daughter, Angie Camlin, from her previous relationship. Around 2006, the couple moved to Manchester, Iowa, with their children and grandson, Isaiah Sweet, who was Richard’s biological grandson and had been raised by them since he was only four years old. While Richard was employed as an airplane mechanic, Janet was a homemaker who cared for the children. Shortly after their move, Janet was reportedly diagnosed with leukemia. She was battling the disease when her granddaughter discovered the 62-year-old woman and 55-year-old Richard dead in their Manchester, Iowa, residence at 109 Deann Drive on May 13, 2012, as their children and grandchildren visited them to celebrate Mother’s Day. The autopsy revealed that the cause of their deaths was gunshot wounds.
The Killer Turned Out to be Someone Close to Richard and Janet Sweet
As part of the investigation, the detectives talked to Richard and Janet Sweet’s family and friends to learn about the circumstances surrounding their deaths. They learned that the couple frequently argued with their grandson, Isaiah Richard Sweet, who was reportedly diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Conduct Disorder when he was four years old. As per his loved ones, Richard was allegedly an alcoholic and abusive towards Isaiah sometimes. The relationship between the grandparents and Isaiah further deteriorated when they had him committed due to suspected drug abuse in July 2011. Given the tumultuous relationship between the deceased couple and their grandson, the police tracked him down at a Hardee’s restaurant and arrested him on May 14, 2012.
During his two-hour police interview, he admitted to shooting both Richard and Janet in the head with the former’s rifle on May 11, 2012, before fleeing the scene. He claimed that he was tired of Richard’s constant scolding, which motivated his crime. Thus, he was charged with two counts of first-degree murder. The authorities also charged his friend, Brandon Ahlers, in connection with the double homicide, as he reportedly helped Isaiah plan the murder and dispose of the murder weapon. Isaiah also walked the detectives through the details of the crime. He told the police that he wore earmuffs during the shooting and shot Richard from behind before shooting Janet twice in the head. After picking up some money and clothes from the house, he went party hopping to multiple apartments and indulged in drugs. Two days before his arrest for the murders, he was reportedly arrested for driving with a suspended license.
Isaiah Sweet is Currently Incarcerated at an Iowa Prison
Initially, Isaiah Sweet pleaded not guilty to the charges against him in connection with the homicides of his grandparents, Richard and Janet Sweet. His trial commenced in October 2013, during which he changed his mind and pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder. Janet’s daughter, Angie Camlin, took the stand after the State played Isaiah’s videotaped confession in front of the jury. She stated, “His demeanor (during the trial) disturbed me as a human being. He got up and demonstrated how he (shot them). He gave great detail and gory information about it, and it didn’t bother him.”
In exchange for his plea deal, the State agreed to allow him to serve his sentences concurrently and to drop other pending charges against him. Ultimately, in March 2014, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Two years later, in September 2016, Isaiah Sweet was resentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole, after concluding that a life imprisonment sentence without parole for a juvenile violated the Iowa Constitution. However, his parole appeal was denied by the Iowa Supreme Court in June 2018. As of today, 31-year-old Isaiah Richard Sweet is serving his sentence at Clarinda Correctional Facility in Clarinda, Iowa, with his recall date scheduled for July 2027.
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