2022 Okmulgee murders

On the evening of October 9, 2022, four men — Mark Chastain, 32; Billy Chastain, 30 (Mark's younger brother); Mike Sparks, 32; and Alex Stevens, 29 — were last seen riding bicycles in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, before being reported missing. Their bodies were discovered on October 14, 2022, after they had been fatally shot, dismembered, and thrown into the Deep Fork River. The killings occurred near a scrapyard belonging to a local man.

Authorities identified 67-year-old Joseph Lloyd Kennedy II of Okmulgee as the suspect. Kennedy had a criminal history that included a 2012 arrest for assault and battery on a law enforcement officer, connected to a shooting incident at his business, A&A Auto Salvage, after six intruders broke into the store; a .380 caliber pistol was recovered and the shooting was later determined to be "without justifiable or excusable cause." He received a deferred felony sentence in Okmulgee County District Court in May 2013 related to that incident, and an arrest warrant was later issued after his release on probation.

Investigators reviewed video footage showing Kennedy leaving the scrapyard in a different shirt than he had arrived in and departing in his PT Cruiser. He later returned in a stolen Toyota Tacoma belonging to a friend, parking near the Great Plains Coca-Cola Bottling Plant after midnight on October 10, and was seen walking toward a vacant lot bordering the scrapyard known as Pine Field. Officers recovered Mark Chastain's blood-covered personal items, numerous 7.62 caliber shell casings, and a broken set of dentures during the investigation.

Shortly after the killings, Kennedy drove approximately 1,200 miles from Okmulgee to Daytona Beach Shores, Florida. Oklahoma authorities located his abandoned PT Cruiser in Morris, Oklahoma, while Florida authorities tracked a stolen black Toyota Tundra linked to him via license plate reader. Kennedy was arrested during a traffic stop in Florida and held without bail on a Grand Theft Auto charge before being extradited to Oklahoma on November 14, 2022. His charges were subsequently upgraded to first-degree murder, and he was held at the Okmulgee County Detention Center on a $10,000,000 bond.

A witness told authorities the victims had been invited to "hit a lick big enough for all of them," and investigators believed the men may have planned to commit a criminal act prior to their disappearance. Kennedy denied knowing the four victims when questioned and reportedly told police he was suicidal. According to an unsealed affidavit signed by Assistant District Attorney Carman Rainbolt and made public on December 1, 2022, Kennedy visited a woman in Gore, Oklahoma, in the early morning hours of October 15, 2022, and told her he had killed and dismembered the four men because they were stealing from him, allegedly having one victim's bicycle with him at the time.

As of the most recent reporting, Kennedy is awaiting a bench trial, having waived his right to a jury trial; proceedings have been stayed pending a competency review. <parameter name="timeline">[{"date": "2012-01-07", "event": "A shooting incident occurred at Kennedy's business, A&A Auto Salvage, after six intruders broke in; Kennedy was later arrested on assault and battery on a law enforcement officer charges in connection with the incident."}, {"date": "2013-05", "event": "Kennedy received a felony sentence deferred for 10 years in Okmulgee County District Court in connection with the 2012 incident; an arrest warrant was later issued after he was released on probation."}, {"date": "2022-10-09", "event": "Mark Chastain, Billy Chastain, Mike Sparks, and Alex Stevens were last seen riding bicycles in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, before being reported missing."}, {"date": "2022-10-10", "event": "Kennedy returned to park near the Great Plains Coca-Cola Bottling Plant after midnight in a stolen Toyota Tacoma and was seen walking toward Pine Field, a vacant lot bordering his scrapyard."}, {"date": "2022-10-14", "event": "The bodies of the four victims were discovered in the Deep Fork River."}, {"date": "2022-10-15", "event": "In the early morning hours, Kennedy allegedly visited a woman in Gore, Oklahoma, and told her he killed and dismembered the four men because they were stealing from him."}, {"date": "2022-11-14", "event": "Kennedy was extradited from Florida back to Oklahoma."}, {"date": "2022-12-01", "event": "An affidavit signed by Assistant District Attorney Carman Rainbolt was unsealed, detailing Kennedy's alleged confession."}]