Editor’s Note: Watch the video above to view the entire jailhouse interview referenced in this article

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – The brother-in-law of an Abilene realtor who was killed four years ago is speaking out from jail, saying he was framed for murder.

Luke Sweetser, 48, spoke to KTAB and KRBC at the Taylor County Jail Friday morning, just hours after he was booked on a Murder charge connected to the 2016 death of realtor Tom Niblo, 54.

When asked if he committed the crime that led to his incarceration, Sweetser became noticeably upset, saying “they’ve been trying to frame me for this murder.”

Sweetser declined to give insight into why he believes he is being framed, but during the interview, he alluded to rumors that have been surrounding the case – including allegations of an inappropriate affair between Abilene Police Chief Stan Standridge and Niblo’s wife and allegations that Niblo had a secret personal life that could have contributed to the crime.

During a live interview in December 2018, Mayor Anthony Williams addressed the allegations against Chief Standridge, saying these rumors have been investigated and are in no way true.

Police released the following statement when KTAB and KRBC told him about the allegations Sweetser made from jail:

Luke Sweetser’s’ allegation that he is being framed is baseless as are his allegations against Chief Standridge.  Sweetser is in custody after indictment because of evidence based on a thorough investigation by multiple agencies. No further comment will be made.

There has also been no documentation to support Sweetser’s claims about Niblo’s personal life leading to his death.

Sweetser was arrested Thursday night after he was indicted for Murder.

The indictment states Sweetser was the suspect who fired the fatal shot when Niblo was killed at his home on the 3700 block of Woodridge Drive, ruling out a previous theory that a hitman could have been used.

Court documents reveal a possible motive for the murder, stating Sweetser and his wife, Anne Ellouise Sweetser, were involved in a dispute with Niblo over Niblo’s father’s estate. Anne Ellouise, Niblo’s sister, was not named an executor of her father’s will, but Niblo and her mother were.

The Sweetsers were “very upset” about this will and, “had made failed requests and attempts at changing the status of the executorship which led to verbal disputes between themselves and the deceased,” according to court documents.

Sweetser now remains held in the Taylor County Jail for the second time during this investigation.

He was first arrested two days after the murder when detectives found stolen firearms belonging to Abilene attorney Randy Wilson inside a safe owned by Sweetser while a search warrant was executed at a Niblo family storage facility on Mesquite Street.

That case is still going through court and has not been resolved.

Sweetser’s bond for Murder is currently set at $750,000.

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