In the small town of Okmulgee, Oklahoma, a group of four friends, including 32-year-old Mark Chastain, his younger brother Billy Chastain, 30, Mike Sparks, 32, and Alex Stevens, 29, vanished after leaving a home on bicycles on the evening of October 9, 2022. A witness later told police that the men had plans to 'hit a lick big enough for all of them,' a slang term for committing a criminal act, though the specific nature of their intended actions remains unknown.
The search for the
missing men came to a grim conclusion when a passerby spotted something suspicious in the Deep Fork River. Authorities discovered the dismembered bodies of the four men in the river. The investigation revealed that all four victims had been shot before their bodies were dismembered and discarded in the water.
The investigation quickly led police to a local scrapyard owned by Joe Kennedy. While a search of the scrapyard itself yielded nothing remarkable, investigators found evidence of a violent event on an adjoining property. A ping from Mark Chastain's phone also led authorities to the salvage yard. Kennedy, who initially cooperated with police, was later reported missing and was considered a person of interest.
Kennedy was eventually apprehended in Daytona Beach Shores, Florida, while driving a stolen vehicle. Following his arrest, Kennedy's attorney put forth a claim of self-defense, alleging that the four men were at the scrapyard to commit a crime and that Kennedy was protecting himself. This claim is contested by the district attorney, who has pointed out that all four victims were shot in the back. DNA evidence confirmed that blood found on Kennedy's shoes matched one of the victims. The judge in the case has denied bond for Kennedy, considering him a flight risk.
