A rural Missouri man has been charged with kidnapping his ex-girlfriend and forcing her to watch him dig his grave before fatally shooting her in the head.
Police say Tony L. Charboneau, 36, punched, kicked and even stomped on his ex-girlfriend Amy Hogue, 43, during an argument on his property on June 20.
He and his current girlfriend, Brandi L Luffy, 40, then allegedly put the victim in a manual wheelchair and “tied (Hogue’s) hands and feet to the wheelchair with ratchet straps.” according to a probable cause affidavit filed by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators say the pair then gathered shovels, a tarp, a pickaxe and a gun, which they loaded into the back of Charboneau’s vehicle and threw Hogue, still strapped into the wheelchair, into the back seat.
They then drove to a wooded area in Sullivan, about 70 miles southwest of St. Louis, where police say the couple removed Hogue from the vehicle and drove her to a wooded hillside, where Charboneau buried a shallow grave as Hogue watched.
Tony Charboneau, 36, is accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend Amy Hogue, 43, and forcing her to watch as he dug her shallow grave.
Once the grave was complete, prosecutors say Charboneau pulled Hogue out of his wheelchair and shot him in the head.
He then spent the rest of the day burying Hogue and covering her with large rocks and tree branches, while Luffy stayed in the vehicle and acted as a lookout, the probable cause affidavit says.
After fleeing the scene, Charboneau and Luffy allegedly burned the ratchet straps and tarp, and drove to a river access point in Jefferson County, where they dumped Hogue’s bag into the water.
Meanwhile, Hogue’s family became concerned about her and reported her missing around the time of the attack, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Her sister in Franklin County and other relatives out of state waited weeks to learn of her whereabouts as police circulated a missing persons flier. the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Finally, in mid-July, investigators recovered Hogue’s purse.
“That was the day we realized she was probably dead,” Sheriff Zach Jacobson said.
Hogue’s family reported her missing around the time of the June 20 attack.
He noted that the investigation was hampered by the rural environment.
“We’re trying to figure this out without cell service, so it’s difficult to locate phones,” Jacobson said.
‘It’s old-school police work: knocking on doors, interviewing everyone we encounter and executing search warrants.
“They are literally on the ground. In God’s country there is no technology,” he continued. “And without cell phone reception, you don’t leave a digital footprint.”
Finally, on Aug. 2, Luffy admitted to helping Charboneau commit the heinous murder and led investigators to Hogue’s body, police said.
Police remain unsure of what Hogue may have been doing at her ex’s home that day, and Jacobson said, “All we know is that she was trying to leave.”
“She was about to leave the residence and that’s when the brutal assault took place,” he said.
Charboneau (left) and his current girlfriend, Brandi Luffy, 40, (right) are being held on $1 million cash-only bonds in connection with the heinous murder.
Jacobson said Charboneau had previously abused Hogue, including in May 2023. She said police took that case to prosecutors, but no arrest warrant was ever issued.
But he had been charged twice with domestic violence against Hogue, The Kansas City Star reports.
He now also faces charges of 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 held on $1 million cash-only bail and is scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing on Aug. 28.
Luffy is also charged with second-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, abandonment of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and conspiracy to commit a felony.
She also remains jailed on $1 million cash-only bail and is scheduled to appear at a bail reduction hearing on Tuesday.
Hogue’s family remembers her as a loving mother of three who was killed just four days after becoming a grandmother for the first time.
Meanwhile, Hogue’s family remembers her as a loving mother of three, who was killed just four days after becoming a grandmother for the first time. according to an online fundraiser.
“She was a mother and my best friend,” said her son, Corbin Crider. he wrote on Facebook. “She didn’t deserve this.”
“There really are monsters in this world we live in,” he continued.
‘To the friends and family who knew my mother: she loved each and every one of you so deeply and intensely.
“And to my mom, mommy, I love you so much. I know you will always take care of us and guide us toward the life you’ve always wanted for your children.”
The online fundraiser, which hopes to raise money for Hogue’s cremation and a celebration of life ceremony, also says Hogue “never met her first grandchild” and “was taken from her too soon.”
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