In the summer of 1978, the life of 18-year-old Kenneth Arnder was tragically cut short in a brutal murder that would lead to a decades-long legal battle for the man convicted of the crime. A young male who had fallen in with a rough crowd, Arnder found himself in trouble over allegedly stealing tires. Fearing for his safety, he sought refuge in the remote area of Kibler Valley in Patrick County, Virginia.
A man named Dennis Stockton drove him there on July 20, 1978, leaving him at a picnic area with the understanding that things needed to 'cool off.' That was the last time Arnder's mother would see him alive.
Five days later, on July 25, 1978, Arnder's decomposing body was discovered in a gully near a dirt road just across the state line in Surry County, North Carolina. The scene was gruesome; he had been shot in the head, and both of his hands had been severed at the wrists, a chilling message that suggested a drug-related killing. North Carolina authorities initially investigated, but no charges were filed. The case remained in a state of limbo for years, a dark cloud hanging over the small community.
Four years after the discovery of Arnder's body, the investigation gained new traction in Virginia. In June 1982, Dennis Stockton was arrested for Arnder's murder. The prosecution's case hinged on the theory that Arnder was killed in Virginia and his body subsequently moved to North Carolina. The motive, they argued, was a murder-for-hire plot. A convicted felon named Randy Bowman became the key witness, testifying that he overheard Stockton agree to kill Arnder for $1,500 at the request of another man, Tommy McBride, who was allegedly upset with Arnder over a drug deal. Despite the lack of physical evidence linking Stockton to the crime, Bowman's testimony was compelling enough for a jury.
In March 1983, Dennis Stockton was tried and found guilty of capital murder. The jury recommended the death sentence. Stockton maintained his innocence throughout his trial and subsequent years on death row. His case was fraught with appeals and controversy. At one point, a federal judge set aside his death sentence due to a tainted jury, offering him life imprisonment instead. Insistent on his innocence, Stockton chose a new sentencing hearing and was once again sentenced to death. Further complicating the case, Randy Bowman, the star witness, would later recant his testimony, only to then deny his recantation. Allegations even surfaced that Bowman himself was the killer, though these were challenged by evidence that he was in jail at the time of the murder. After a long and convoluted legal journey, Dennis Stockton was executed by lethal injection on September 27, 1995, still professing his innocence for the murder of Kenneth Arnder.
