A man from Eldon and two men from Kaiser have been charged in connection with the death of a Columbia man whose body was found last week in a wooded area near Brumley in Miller County.
Christopher English, 41, of Eldon, along with William Lucas, 52, and Daniel Cole, 54, both of Kaiser, are each charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action and abandonment of a corpse.
Aaron Brantley, 41, of Columbia, was reported missing Feb. 8, and preliminary results of the investigation indicate he died of a gunshot wound, according to a Friday news release from the Miller County Sheriff's Office. His body was found by law enforcement the night of March 7.
When he was reported missing, Brantley was last known to be driving to the Lake of the Ozarks/Osage Beach area. His vehicle also was recovered.
Records from Brantley's cellphone indicate he last talked with English, according to a Miller County Sheriff's Office probable cause statement. English said he was supposed to meet with Brantley, but he never showed up. Investigators eventually determined Wilson and Brantley were to meet at a bowling alley on Missouri 42 in Kaiser.
On March 6, Osage Beach police reported an unidentified man had come to their department saying he was involved in a homicide on Blue Ridge Road in Miller County.
This person told authorities that, on Feb. 8, he was at a residence belonging to Lucas on Blue Ridge Road. He said he saw English walk outside to a garage a meet with someone in the driveway. The person said English went back into Lucas' home and said he had just shot the subject and demanded everyone in the home help load the body into the victim's vehicle. This was later determined to be Brantley, and it was his vehicle.
Cole told authorities English drove Brantley's car while Lucas followed in another vehicle. They allegedly went back to Lucas' home without Brantley's vehicle or his body.
Lucas was interviewed by authorities March 7, and he admitted to his involvement in Brantley's killing, saying he had helped remove Brantley's body and transported it twice.
Investigators also learned Lucas had purchased bags of lime, a tarp and work lights from a store in Lake Ozark to help with the disposal of evidence. Lucas told authorities they had tried to burn their clothes and destroy the crime scene.