Man accused of murdering ex-girlfriend 'forced her to watch her own grave being dug'
Kit Roberts
Featured Image Credit: FaceBook/WCSO
A man accused of murdering his former girlfriend made her watch as he dug her grave in front of her, prosecutors have said.
In a chilling charge sheet Tony L. Charboneau has been charged with first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, first-degree domestic assault, abandonment of a corpse, conspiracy to commit a felony, and tampering with physical evidence.
The horrifying set of charges are in relation to the death of Charboneau's ex girlfriend Amy Hogue, 43.
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According to police Charboneau, 36, allegedly kicked, punched, and stamped on Hogue during an argument at his property on June 20.
A probable cause affidavit from Washington County Sheriff's Office alleged that after the altercation Charboneau and his current girlfriend Brandi L Luffy, 40, tied Hogue's hands and feet to a manual wheelchair using ratchet straps.
Afterwards, the pair then allegedly picked up equipment including shovels, tarpaulin, a pickaxe, and a gun.
They loaded the weapon in Charboneau's vehicle and put the trapped Hogue on the back seat.
Charboneau and Luffy then drove to a wooded area in Sullivan, which is located around 70 miles southwest of St Louis.
When they arrived, they allegedly took Hogue out of the vehicle and took her to a wooded hill.
There Charboneau allegedly made his ex watch as he dug a shallow grave in front of her.
Prosecutors allege that when the grave was finished Charboneau took Hogue out of the wheelchair and shot her in the head.
Charboneau then allegedly began concealing the body while Luffy stood as a lookout from the vehicle.
After leaving the scene the pair then allegedly burned the ratchet straps they had used to bind Hogue and threw her purse in the river.
Luffy has been charged with second-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, abandonment of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and conspiracy to commit a felony.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Hogue's family began to worry about her around the time of her disappearance.
In mid-July, officers investigating the case recovered her purse.
Sheriff Zach Jacobson said: "That's the day we realized she was probably dead."
The rural location of the alleged murder has meant that officers have not been able to ping cell phones off towers and instead are having to go door to door.
Jacobson said: "We are trying to piece this together with no cell service, so it's hard to ping phones.
"So it's old-school police work, knocking on doors, interviewing everybody that we encounter, executing search warrants.
"They are literally boots on the ground. No technology in God's country."
Hogue's family have paid tribute to her as a loving mom of three.
Her son Corbin Crider posted on Facebook: "She was a mother and my best friend. She did not deserve this.
"There are truly monsters in this world we live in.
"To the friends and family that knew my mother, she loved each and every single one of you so deeply and so fiercely.
"And to my mom, momma, I love you so very much. I know you will forever watch over us and guide us to a life you've always wanted for your kids."