Louisiana
Georgia man accused of killing wife, burning body arrested in Louisiana
![Georgia man accused of killing wife, burning body arrested in Louisiana Georgia man accused of killing wife, burning body arrested in Louisiana](https://images.foxtv.com/static.fox5atlanta.com/www.fox5atlanta.com/content/uploads/2024/08/1280/720/a6433590-Untitled-1.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Man accused of killing, burning and burying wife
Kenneth Hardin Jr., who is accused of killing his wife then burning and burying her body on their estate, has been captured in Louisiana.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. – Kenneth Hardin Jr., who is accused of killing his wife and burning her body, was arrested in Louisiana on Wednesday. He is currently awaiting extradition to Georgia to face charges of killing his wife, Carrie Hardin.
“The officers could definitely tell immediately that there was somebody with some blood loss and that somebody had attempted to clean the crime scene,” said Fayette County Sheriff Barry Babb.
Carrie Hardin’s body, which showed signs of gunshot wounds, was discovered on Wednesday in a shallow grave behind the couple’s home along Merlin Court in Fayetteville.
“It’s shocking as hell… definitely seems like something that would be on like one of those shows, I didn’t expect that,” the sheriff said.
According to a statement from the sheriff’s office, her remains were partially burned and buried under yard debris.
Kenneth Hardin Jr. (St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office)
“He had related that his son had purchased a plane ticket for him to fly to Georgia, and met him at a bank earlier,” the sheriff said.
Sheriff Babb says Hardin handed over all his bank accounts and other fiscal responsibilities to his father. It was what Hardin next told his father which prompted his father to report it to law enforcement.
“He had told his father that he had shot his wife and pretty much that he was now going to be on the run,” the sheriff said.
The 39-year-old Hardin allegedly told his father that “he killed his wife in self-defense, burned her body and was leaving town.”
Dozens of investigators combed through the property, reviewing surveillance video and collecting evidence as deputies.
“The tragedy is here was a family that is now completely imploded. And you’ve got more than one victim that’s deceased. You’ve got you’ve got a lot of victims, especially those little boys,” the sheriff said.
Fayette County sheriff: Man killed wife, buried body
Kenneth Hardin Jr. is accused of killing his wife and burning her body before burning the remains in the family’s backyard. He then went on the run. He’s now in Louisiana jail awaiting extradition to Georgia.
Fayette County deputies tracked Kenneth Hardin to a motel in Covington, Louisiana. With assistance from the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Louisiana State Patrol, Hardin was apprehended by a SWAT team in his motel room.
“I got almost basically two calls at the same time, that the cadaver dog located our victim, which was buried in a very shallow grave on the back part of the property. And at the same time that the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office took him into custody without incident,” the sheriff said.
He was being held at the St. Tammany Parish Correctional Center as a fugitive from justice as of late Thursday evening.
Fayette County investigators are in Louisiana for further questioning of the suspect as they are preparing for his extradition to Georgia.
“He is completely cooperating to the point that I will tell you that Captain Lee, who has been an investigator at least three decades, said, ‘I’ve never had a homicide suspect, want to tell us everything.’ And I asked him over the phone on speakerphone just minutes before you came in here, ‘Do you believe him?’ And he said, ‘Absolutely,’” the sheriff said.
The couple’s two children, who are in elementary school and middle school, are in the care of the family.
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Louisiana
Louisiana State Police investigating incident involving injured Terrebonne student, bus
![Louisiana State Police investigating incident involving injured Terrebonne student, bus Louisiana State Police investigating incident involving injured Terrebonne student, bus](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2022/07/02/NCOU/4d3fbeec-4d9e-44aa-8a59-189dbdbe379a-police-5226674_1920.jpg?auto=webp&crop=1919,1080,x0,y97&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Louisiana State Police are investigating an incident in which a child was struck by a vehicle in Terrebonne Parish.
Louisiana State Police Troop C is investigating a vehicle-related injury of a child on LA 665 that occurred just before 4 p.m. Thursday, LSP Public Information Officer Tiah Larvadain said.
Terrebonne Parish Superintendent Bubba Orgeron said the school district is aware of an accident involving a Terrebonne Parish student and a Terrebonne Parish School District bus. The district is working with local and state authorities in the active investigation.
Louisiana
Man arrested in Louisiana after wife’s burned body found buried behind Fayette County home
A Fayette County man has been charged with his wife’s murder after her body was found in their home.
Channel 2′s Michael Doudna was at a news conference on Thursday afternoon as Fayette County Sheriff Barry Babb announced the arrest.
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They say Kenneth Hardin Jr., 39, confessed to family members on Wednesday that he killed his wife, Carrie Hardin, in self-defense the day before, burned her body and was leaving town.
His father then called 911 and sheriff’s deputies went to the couple’s home on Merlin Court where they found evidence that matched his statements.
Sheriff Babb said it appears that Carrie Hardin died from gunshot wounds.
Kenneth Hardin told investigators that alcohol was involved in the argument that led up to the shooting.
TRENDING STORIES:
Kenneth Hardin’s car was tracked to a motel in Covington, Louisiana where a SWAT team arrested him.
Investigators in Fayette County found a shallow grave in the woods behind the couple’s house where they found Carrie Hardin’s burned remains.
The couple share two children.
Sheriff Babb says that Kenneth Hardin is fully cooperating with investigators in answering their questions and has admitted to killing his wife.
Kenneth Hardin is currently being held in the St. Tammany Parish Correctional Center in Louisiana without bond on a fugitive charge. He will be extradited to Fayette County.
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Louisiana
Buc-ee’s clears another hurdle for Ruston, Louisiana, store; big meeting on I-20 design set
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Keith Urban puts on free, ‘loose’ show for fans at Buc-ee’s store
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Buc-ee’s first Louisiana store in Ruston moved closer to breaking ground this week with the city’s zoning commission approving the site map for the travel center, while Mayor Ronny Walker said a critical meeting is scheduled Friday in Baton Rouge about the Interstate 20 interchange design to accommodate the project.
Walker said his meeting Friday will include state and federal transportation officials, as well as representatives with Buc-ee’s about the design of the interchange and service road.
“The meeting will include all of the partners to make sure everything is on schedule, which we believe will be the case,” Walker said in an interview with USA Today Network.
In April, officials with the city, state and Federal Highway Commission signed a memorandum of understanding agreeing to the design concept of Interstate 20 interchange and service road, but the infrastructure plan still needs final approval to move forward.
“I think we can get that as close to the finish line as possible Friday,” Walker said.
Walker has credited Gov. Jeff Landry’s new Department of Transportation Secretary Joe Donahue with “accelerating the process from the day he was appointed.”
The mayor said Ruston’s City Council will approve the 80-acre site plat that cleared the Ruston Planning and Zoning Commission during the council’s next meeting Sept. 9. Buc-ee’s plans to use about 25 acres for its campus, while the other sections are reserved for future development.
Walker said he remains confident Buc-ee’s will meet its 2025 target date for opening the Ruston store.
Ruston and Lafayette are in an unofficial competition to land the first Louisiana Buc-ee’s. The Lafayette store is also scheduled for a 2025 opening.
Buc-ee’s, with its toothy Beaver mascot, has developed a cult following among travelers who consider the stores tourism destinations rather than just giant convenience stores.
Every Buc-ee’s has wide varieties of meat jerky, roasted nuts and other culinary delights, like the signature Buc-ee’s Beaver Nuggets (similar to caramel popcorn), fudge, brisket and sausage on a stick.
Ruston’s City Council, the Lincoln Parish School Board and Lincoln Parish Police Jury approved a tax incentive package that set the project in motion in 2022.
The Lake Jackson, Texas-headquartered company has more than 40 stores in seven southern states and Colorado, but none in Louisiana.
But the company has its origins in Louisiana, where Buc-ee’s owner Arch “Beaver” Aplin III worked in his grandfather’s general merchandise store during his childhood summers.
“For our family, opening a Buc-ee’s in Louisiana is like coming home,” the Beaver said in a previous statement to USA Today Network. “We are very excited about Buc-ee’s coming to Ruston.”
Buc-ee’s will create a minimum of 200 new full-time jobs with starting pay at $16 an hour plus benefits including three weeks paid time off and a 401k plan with a company match.
More: Buc-ee’s moves closer to breaking ground on first Louisiana store in Ruston
Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.
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