2 men charged after 3 men found slain in rural Kentucky

State News

November 24, 2009

Anonymous The Richmond Register Tue Nov 24, 2009, 08:04 AM EST

GLASGOW — Two suspects charged in the killings of three men whose decomposed bodies were found by hunters have implicated themselves in statements to police, a prosecutor said Monday.

One suspect gave information that led investigators to the weapons used, Commonwealth’s Attorney Karen Davis said during an initial hearing for the men in Barren County District Court. She said she was considering seeking the death penalty.

The bodies were found Sunday in a field about three miles east of Cave City in rural south-central Kentucky, said State Police Trooper Charles Swiney.

“We can’t even speculate how long they had been out there,” Swiney said.

Miguel A. Velazquez, 20, of Cave City, was charged with three counts of murder and tampering with physical evidence, state police said. Also arrested was Marcos Bautista, 18, of Cave City. He was charged with complicity to murder, tampering with physical evidence and possession of marijuana.

The defendants were dressed in orange jail jumpsuits, bound at their hands and feet and showed no emotion during the hearing.

Davis said it was Velazquez who told officers where to find the weapons, but she would not comment on what they were.

The bodies of the three men were found in a thicket of trees near a farm pond. The suspects’ statements indicated that at least two were killed elsewhere and taken to the spot, Davis said.

“They were hidden to some degree by the foliage and brush,” the prosecutor said. Davis said the suspects’ statements indicated that the killings were “not spur of the moment.” The suspects indicated that money and items were stolen from the victims, Davis said.

“Whether that was their motive, I don’t know what was in their minds,” she told reporters after the hearing.

A judge ordered the defendants held without bond and scheduled a preliminary hearing for Nov. 30. Two public defenders represented them but declined comment to reporters. An interpreter was provided when Bautista indicated he needed one. Swiney said federal immigration officials were investigating whether the two suspects were in the country illegally.

Autopsies have been completed, but authorities did not release causes of death or the victims’ names. State police described the victims as Hispanic.

The Rev. Joel Rogers, pastor at St. Helen Catholic Church in Glasgow in south-central Kentucky, said the Hispanic community is close-knit and will be devastated by the triple slaying.

Rogers said people in the area mostly work at area farms and restaurants.

Text Only

State News

End of the line
The second day of competition at the state tennis meet was not kind to Model Laboratory athletes.

May 18, 2012 1 Photo
State lawmakers call for constitutional convention
With U.S. Sen. Rand Paul leading the cheers, the state Senate on Tuesday passed a resolution calling for a limited constitutional convention to pass a federal balanced budget amendment.
The vote was 22-16 — Republican Sen. Julie Denton of Louisville joined the 15 Democrats in opposing the measure — on the measure sponsored by Senate President and Republican candidate for governor David Williams. The vote followed Paul’s speech to the body and his earlier remarks to the Senate State Government Committee.

February 23, 2011
Company that blundered pollution reports will again test mining sites
The same people blamed for inaccurate pollution reports from mining sites operated by ICG Coal will be responsible for collecting samples under that company’s corrective action plan submitted to the state.
ICG and Frasure Creek Coal entered a consent decree with the state's Energy and Environment Cabinet in December after environmental groups discovered reams of inaccurate pollution reports by the two companies.

February 17, 2011
Immigration bill delay may be about political leverage
The House Local Government Committee conducted a second day of hearings on a Senate immigration bill Wednesday without taking a vote, but the delay may be about political leverage as much as it is about philosophical objections.
The hearing also got testy, when the sponsor, Sen. John Schickel, R-Union, objected to critics who have characterized the measure as racially motivated and after suggestions by one Democrat committee member that another supporter of the bill used “self-righteous and venomous” language in his testimony.

February 10, 2011
House passes immigration bill
The Democrat House overwhelmingly passed its version of immigration control Tuesday while Senate leaders tried and fell short for now to garner enough votes to pass a bill to require a prescription for cold remedies used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.
The House voted 90-6 to pass HB-3, which would require employers who contract with the state and public agencies to verify the immigration status of new hires using the federal EVerify system. Those who violate the law would be prohibited from securing state contracts for one year after the first offense. A second or subsequent offense would bar contracting with the state for five years.

February 9, 2011
Payday lenders targeted for interest rates
Mary Love doesn’t look the part. A retired pastor and former employee of UPS Logistics from Oldham County, Love, 65, found herself retired, divorced and trying to live off “a small pension.” Soon, she found herself in a “debt trap.”
It began when one month she was a bit short and her rent was due. She visited a “payday lender,” and wrote a $230 check that the lender held for two weeks. She walked out with $200. But two weeks later she owed the lender $230 and still couldn’t make ends meet. This time she wrote a check for $460 and left with $400.

February 8, 2011
State settles case with Medicaid administrator
The third-party administrator for a Medicaid managed care program has agreed to pay more than $2 million in damages for falsely reporting patient results in order to secure a $700,000 bonus payment.
The settlement was the result of a nine-month investigation by the office of Attorney General Jack Conway acting on tips from a whistleblower inside AmeriHealth Mercy, the administrator for Passport Health Plan, the state-funded managed care program which serves clients from Louisville and 15 surrounding counties that has come under scrutiny by the state auditor and lawmakers. The over-reporting of positive health outcomes occurred in 2009, and the state Medicaid fraud statute allows the state to assess the company triple damages, Conway said.

January 27, 2011
Republican primary for governor grows
The Republican primary for governor grew by one on filing deadline day as expected, but Gov. Steve Beshear is getting a free pass in the Democratic primary.
Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw and her running mate, retired naval officer and high school teacher Bill Vermillion, filed candidacy papers Tuesday morning, promising a competitive race despite a late entry and delayed fundraising start.

January 26, 2011
Williams-Farmer ticket is official
FRANKFORT — Kentucky Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville, and his running mate, Commissioner of Agriculture Richie Farmer, made it official Monday. They filed paperwork to run for governor and lieutenant governor, respectively.

January 19, 2011
Poll: Majority favors state smoking ban
Though advocates of anti-smoking laws don’t believe a statewide smoking ban will pass in the General Assembly this year, they see public support for it and have come to the conclusion that it is time to get the discussion started.

January 14, 2011
More State News Headlines

State News

Search Results

2 men charged after 3 men found slain in rural Kentucky

A recent health ranking listed Madison County as the 20th healthiest county in the state. It measured factors such as exercise, access to health care and smoking. Do you smoke cigarettes?

Site Map