Bartlesville Radio: The area’s best source for news, weather and sports!

Joseph Lloyd Kennedy, the “person of interest” in the October deaths of four Okmulgee men whose bodies were later found dismembered in the Deep Fork River, was officially charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Mark Chastain, Billy Chastain, Mike Sparks, and Alex Stevens. Kennedy will be held without bond in the Okmulgee Detention Center until his trial and if found guilty, will face the death penalty or life imprisonment with or without the possibility of parole.

The lengthy investigation into the four men’s deaths began nearly two months ago but was hindered by Kennedy fleeing to Florida after police talked to him about the deaths. In Florida, Kennedy was picked up for driving a stolen vehicle on October 18 and then placed on suicide watch by Florida officers after he threatened to jump off the balcony of his hotel room. Extradition back to Oklahoma became possible after DNA samples found on one of the bodies matched Kennedy’s profile and Florida authorities dropped the stolen vehicle charge. On November 12, Kennedy was brought back to Oklahoma and booked into the detention center. Since then, Oklahoma authorities have built a case that ultimately led to the first-degree charges this week.

Okmulgee County District Attorney Carol Iski said further details cannot be released prior to the trial date, which has not yet been set.