Man suspected of killing his mother in Coeur d'Alene is arrested while preparing to fly to China

Police have arrested a man suspected of killing his mother in her Coeur d'Alene home last Fall. They detained him as he prepared to fly to China.

Neil Stratton, 52, is expected to face charges of first-degree murder, burglary and destruction of evidence related to his mother's death, the Coeur d'Alene Police Department announced Friday.

His mother, 77-year-old Susan Stratton, was found in the 1100 block of East Skyline Drive near Cherry Hill Park in September with life-threatening injuries and a significant amount of blood loss. At the time, police called it a "deliberate, isolated attack."

Neil Stratton was considered a suspect early on in the investigation, police said in a news release. They discovered he was in California and preparing to board a flight to China. The U.S. Marshal Service arrested him Thursday near Los Angeles, the release said.

His Facebook profile says he lives in Spirit Lake and appears to show he has traveled to China multiple times in the last two years.

In March, Stratton posted on an "Idaho land listings" group that he was looking to sell two 10-acre lots for a total of $800,000. Just nine days ago, Stratton posted again in a "California to Idaho" Facebook group asking people to work with him to get 5 acres of land for $1,000 a month.

Interim Police Chief Dave Hagar said Friday the police department is not releasing additional information to protect the integrity of the court process.

"I remain supportive and proud of the Coeur d'Alene Police Department led by Dave Hagar and this is an example of their commitment to aggressively investigate crimes and seek justice on behalf of the members of our community," Coeur d'Alene Mayor Dan Gookin said in a statement.

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