WASHINGTON COUNTY, Mo. – A rural Missouri man is accused of kidnapping and killing his ex-girlfriend after making her watch him dig her grave.
According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office’s probable cause statement, the murder occurred on June 20 in a heavily wooded area along the 11800 block of Haven of Rest Road.
Investigators said Tony L. Charboneau, 36, attacked his ex, Amy Hogue, during an argument and began punching and kicking her.
After the attack, Charboneau and his current girlfriend, Brandi L. Luffy, put Hogue in a manual wheelchair and used ratchet straps to bind Hogue. Investigators said the pair collected shovels, tarps, a pickaxe, and a gun, and put them in the back of Charboneau’s vehicle. They lifted Hogue, still bound to the wheelchair, into the back of the vehicle.
Charboneau drove across from his home to a wooded area, where investigators said he and Luffy unloaded Hogue and brought her to a wooded hill.
Using the shovel and pickaxe, Charboneau dug a shallow grave, authorities said. He then took Hogue out of the wheelchair and shot her in the head. Hogue was 43.
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Authorities said Charboneau spent the rest of the day burying Hogue and covering her with large rocks and tree limbs, while Luffy stayed at the vehicle to act as a lookout.
After leaving the area, Charboneau and Luffy burnt the ratchet straps and tarp. They drove to a river access point in Jefferson County and tossed Hogue’s purse in the water.
Police said Luffy admitted helping Charboneau and led investigators to Hogue’s body.
Charboneau was arrested on August 5.
The Washington County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Charboneau with first-degree murder, first-degree domestic assault, first-degree kidnapping, abandonment of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and conspiracy to commit a felony. Charboneau remains in custody on a $1 million cash-only bond. He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for August 28.
Luffy was charged with second-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, abandonment of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and conspiracy to commit a felony. Luffy remains jailed on a $1 million cash-only bond. She’s set to appear for a bond reduction hearing on August 13.
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