COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Columbus couple is facing charges for their alleged roles in the killing and burning of a man who was found in the woods earlier this summer.
In the overnight hours of July 8, officers were called to the 1600 block of South High Street after receiving a report of a body on fire in the area.
Arriving officers found a burning body in the woods. After the fire was extinguished, the body was later identified as William Hamblin. The Columbus Police Homicide Unit was contacted to launch an investigation.
Through the course of the investigation, court records say there was a dispute between Hamblin, Robert Beine and Beine’s girlfriend Miranda King. The argument was about property that was supposedly stolen from Hamblin.
Witnesses told police that two days prior to the incident, they saw an altercation between the three where Beine made threats to kill Hamblin, according to court records. King allegedly encouraged Beine to do so.
Later that evening, police said Beine, King and a third unidentified person were seen on surveillance video walking into the area where Hamblin’s body was found. A short time later, a fire was captured on video in the same area.
Court records say Beine and King shot Hamblin and hit him with a blunt object before burning his body.
Arrest warrants were issued for King and Beine on Aug. 20. The U.S. Marshals Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (SOFAST) took over the case.
Marshals officers found Beine and King Thursday morning at a gas station at Lockbourne Road and Frebis Avenue. The suspects fled from the officers and were taken into custody with assistance from Columbus police.
Both suspects are charged with murder and gross abuse of a corpse. They are being held in the Franklin County Corrections Center.