In the quiet community of Blaine, Kentucky, a grim discovery was made on April 2, 2016, shattering the peace of the small town. On that Saturday evening, Kentucky State Police troopers were called to a residence on Knob Branch, where they found the bodies of 52-year-old Michael Gartin and his stepmother, 79-year-old Lois 'Peggy' Gartin. Both had been fatally shot, leaving investigators to piece together the events that led to the double homicide.
The investigation quickly zeroed in on a
suspect, a relative of the victims named Stanley Webb Jr., who was 48 years old at the time. Evidence suggested that after the killings, Webb fled the scene in a Jeep Cherokee belonging to the Gartins. His escape was short-lived, however, as he was apprehended later that same day in Columbus, Ohio. Initially, he was arrested for the theft of the vehicle and for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
Within two days of the discovery of the bodies, investigators had gathered enough evidence to charge Stanley Webb Jr. with two counts of murder. Following his arrest in Ohio, he was extradited back to Kentucky on April 13, 2016, to face the charges. Upon his return, he was booked at the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center, with his bond for the murder charges set at two million dollars. While the authorities had their suspect in custody, a clear motive for the tragic deaths of Michael and Lois Gartin was not immediately made public, leaving a community to mourn and wonder what led to such a violent end for two of their own.
