Suspect charged in beating death

New London man accused of violence at Chaplin house

A New London man has been charged with the hourslong beating of a man who was later pronounced dead at his home in Chaplin, state police said Tuesday.

Matthew Candler, 46, faces a first-degree assault charge in the death of Jeffrey Rawson, 51. State police labeled Candler a homicide suspect in a news release, but they did not respond immediately when asked if the charge will be upgraded.

Police took Candler back to Connecticut from a New Hampshire jail Monday. He was being held on a $500,000 bond for an appearance in Danielson Superior Court Tuesday.

Rawson was found dead in his home at 214 Miller Road on May 1 after police received a report of an assault with life-threatening injuries. Police say they quickly identified Candler as a person of interest in the case.

Candler and Rawson knew each other, according to an arrest warrant, and had been partying at Rawson’s home with several other people. At some point in the night, Candler became violent, the warrant says. A woman said she fell asleep on a couch and was awakened when Candler smacked her in the face, police said.

The woman said she saw Rawson with blood trickling down his forehead while Candler yelled, “If anyone moves, I’ll kill you all,” the warrant says. She said Candler threw a heavy lamp at Rawson, then broke a bedside table and entertainment center and used the shattered pieces to beat him, police said.

The witness said the assault “was continuously but sporadically occurring” between midnight and about 5 a.m., the warrant says.

None of the witnesses offered a motivation for the attack. Another woman said she was with Candler in his truck on their way to Rawson’s home when the truck broke down. Candler had it towed to Rawson’s house, where he and Rawson worked on it, according to the warrant.

This witness said they were all having a good time, but later in the night, she nodded off and woke up when she heard arguing in the living room. She said someone kicked her in the face and everything was foggy after that. Police say Candler faces three first-degree assault charges.

Another witness who was not hurt said he saw Rawson on the floor in the living room and Candler punching him in the face, the warrant says. Candler also hit Rawson numerous times with a lamp and kicked and stomped on Rawson’s head and neck, the witness said, according to the warrant.

The witness said he hid in a bedroom until state police arrived, police said. He said he did not know when Candler left and “it was not his business to call the police because he did not get assaulted,” police said.

Troopers found the house a mess, with broken furniture and blood smeared and spattered on the walls, carpet and glass doors, the warrant says. Rawson was pronounced dead at the scene.

Rawson was born in Manchester, grew up in Willington and graduated from Windham High School in 1989, according to his obituary. He was an all-star soccer player and traveled all over the U.S. and Europe for league matches, the obit says.

The father of an adult daughter worked as a plant manager for Village Springs Water Bottling Company in Willington, an electrician for East Coast Site Controls in Hampton and a residential roofer “before he ventured out on his own to become the handyman and general fix-it-all guy for local campgrounds, churches, and property owners,” according to the obituary.

Rawson also was an avid fisherman, “loved to laugh, dance, tell jokes, and wax philosophical with anyone who’d listen. And he was low-key genius.”

“Incredibly smart and quick-witted, he could carry a conversation with just about anybody,” the obit said. “He was a party looking for a place to happen. And Jeff will be missed beyond measure.”