OKMULGEE, Okla. — A judge has ordered the suspect in the murders and dismemberment of four men in Okmulgee to pay damages.
2 News reported on Monday that Joe Kennedy is now being charged by Okmulgee District Attorney Carol Iski for the murders of Mark and Billy Chastain, Alex Sparks, and Mike Stevens back in October.
A judge's recent decision means that Kennedy will have to pay up, but how much he has to pay is the question.
Court documents show that Kennedy had 20 days to appear in court after the plaintiffs, the victim's families, sued him. He never showed up, so a default judgment ruled he would pay them damages.
The plaintiffs in this matter were at the courthouse Monday for Kennedy's first hearing.
The Okmulgee DA says she has enough evidence to believe that Kennedy shot the men at the scrap yard, cut them up, and dumped them in the Deep Fork River nearby.
Okmulgee Police Chief Joe Prentice praised Oklahoma agencies for their assistance with the case.
“To date, I can comfortably say investigators have logged over a thousand man-hours on this investigation. It’s been a collaboration of work from multiple agencies to get to where we are today," says Prentice.
Court documents show Kennedy's wife is also included in the default judgment.
At this time, Kennedy is currently being held without bond.
There will be a hearing on Feb. 28, 2023, to determine how much Kennedy will have to pay.
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