Investigation Discovery’s (ID) American Monster will chronicle Tina Swor’s murder case from August 2021. The all-new episode titled “If Only He Had a Heart” airs this Sunday, December 17, 2023, at 9 p.m. ET on ID.
The official synopsis for the upcoming episode says, “Tina Swor and partner John Dalton start a new life in Spirit Lake, Idaho; John’s erratic behavior and love of guns plague the couple’s fresh start; when Tina’s best friend doesn’t see her for days, she decides to call the cops.”
According to Law & Crime, police found Swor shot to death at her Spirit Lake home during a welfare check on August 16, 2021. She died of five gunshot wounds to the head. Authorities suspected her long-time boyfriend John David Dalton’s involvement and started seeking him as a person of interest. They arrested him two days later and charged him with first-degree murder. He later pleaded guilty to a reduced charge as part of a plea deal.
Tina Swor’s murder case: Where is her killer John David Dalton now?
In March 2022, Tina Swor’s long-time partner and shooter, John David Dalton, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree murder. The reduced charge, down from the count of first-degree murder, came as part of a plea deal. Later that year, in September, he was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. According to the Idaho Department of Corrections, he is currently serving his sentence at the Idaho Correctional Institution-Orofino.
According to The Spokesman-Review, Dalton expressed remorse for Tina Swor’s murder, saying, “I knew Tina Swor, I killed Tina Swor. I shot her.” KHQ-TV further reported that he also said, “I apologize to the family. I recognize that I’m responsible…Knowing that I’m the person that has done this to Tina has caused me a lot of pain.”
Furthermore, KREM TV quoted Swor’s brother, saying, “Our family is forever ruined. John didn’t just take my sister’s life, he took all of ours. I don’t think you can ever be rehabilitated, I hope you (Dalton) can make peace with yourself.”
Swor, 57, was a mother of two adult children, who resided in Spirit Lake and had been in a long-term relationship with Dalton at the time of the tragedy. On August 16, 2021, cops found her shot to death at her house while conducting a welfare check requested by her friends and family. They hadn’t heard from her in several days. Authorities arrested Dalton on suspicion of the crime in St. Maries, Idaho, two days later. They then charged him with first-degree murder.
Law & Crime mentioned that the convicted killer in Tina Swor’s murder case will be 76 when he first becomes eligible for parole on August 18, 2041. However, according to Oxygen, the victim’s daughter, Carlie Swor, criticized the plea deal. She said, “I’m sure he’ll turn back to alcohol, get violent again, even find a girlfriend again, and do the same thing to my mom.”
Reportedly, Dalton had previously faced misdemeanor domestic battery charges in early 2020. The following year in March, he pleaded guilty to an amended charge of disturbing the peace in that case. He also finished a domestic violence offender intervention program. Five months later, he shot Swor to death.
American Monster’s episode on Tina Swor’s murder case airs on ID this December 17.
