A Missouri man is accused of beating his ex-girlfriend and tying her to a wheelchair before shooting her in the head and enlisting the help of his new girlfriend to help hide her body, authorities allege.
Tony Lawrence Charboneau and Brandi Luffy, both of Sullivan, were charged with murder and other crimes in connection with the June 20 death of Charboneau’s ex-girlfriend, Washington County Prosecuting Attorney John Jones announced Monday, Aug. 5, in a release.
Jones did not name the victim, but Washington County Sheriff Zach Jacobsen identified her as Amy Hogue, 43, KSDK was first to report. Her family also identified her in a GoFundMe set up to raise money for funeral expenses.
Authorities began searching for Hogue after she went missing sometime in mid-June, near the community of Redwoods, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office announced in June, emissourian.com reports.
On Aug. 2, Hogue was found dead by authorities, who found her body in a shallow grave near Charboneau’s residence, the prosecuting attorney said in the release.
Charboneau allegedly “punched and stomped the victim, a former girlfriend of Charboneau, on June 20, 2024, following a verbal argument,” according to probable cause statements filed with the Associate Circuit Court of Washington County that recount Luffy’s disclosure to law enforcement, the release states.
After the alleged assault, Luffy told police she helped Charboneau to place Hogue in a wheelchair, tying her to the wheelchair using ratchet straps, the probable cause statements claim.
“According to Luffy, she and Charboneau moved the victim to a spot in the woods where Charboneau shot the victim in the head, then buried her,” the prosecutor alleges.
“Luffy confessed to acting as lookout while Charboneau shot and buried the victim, then helping Charboneau to destroy the ratchet straps and a tarp used in the crime and dispose of the victim’s purse,” the prosecutor alleges.
Sheriff’s deputies then located the grave, which contained the remains of the victim, who had a bullet hole through her skull.
Charboneau is charged with first-degree murder, domestic assault in the first degree, kidnapping in the first degree, abandonment of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence in a felony prosecution and conspiracy to commit kidnapping, the release says.
He was previously charged with two instances of domestic assault against the victim, and the charges remain pending in the Washington County Associate Circuit Court.
“This case is horrifying in every respect, and my office will not rest until the victim’s killers are brought to justice,” Jones wrote in the release.
Luffy, who is also from Sullivan, is charged with felony murder, kidnapping in the first degree, abandonment of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence in a felony prosecution and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
As authorities continue to investigate, Hogue’s family is trying to pick up the pieces after her brutal death.
“As you can imagine, we were not prepared for this at all,” Taylor Crider, Hogue’s daughter-in-law wrote in the GoFundMe. “We are all devastated.”
She also wrote, “Amy in no way deserved what happened to her.”
The suspects remain held in the Washington County Jail on $1 million bond each. It is unclear whether they have retained attorneys who can speak on their behalf.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages. (Punch)