Chevie Kehoe: The Aryan People's Republic Killer
Overview
Chevie O'Brien Kehoe is a militant white supremacist who, in the mid-1990s, engaged in a violent crime spree across multiple states to fund his self-styled "Aryan People's Republic" (APR). Driven by a radical ideology aimed at overthrowing the U.S. government and establishing a whites-only nation in the Pacific Northwest, Kehoe's campaign of terror included robbery, kidnapping, and murder. His most notorious crime was the 1996 kidnapping, robbery, and murder of gun dealer William Mueller, his wife Nancy, and her eight-year-old daughter, Sarah Powell, in Arkansas. Kehoe, along with his accomplice Daniel Lewis Lee, committed the murders to steal a large cache of firearms and cash to support their revolutionary goals. Kehoe's violent activities also included ordering the murder of a fellow white supremacist in 1995. A massive manhunt, spurred by a televised shootout with police in Ohio, ended with his capture in 1997. He was convicted in federal court of racketeering and three counts of murder in aid of racketeering and sentenced to three consecutive terms of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Early Life and Radicalization
Chevie Kehoe was born on January 29, 1973, in Orange Park, Florida, the eldest of eight sons of Kirby and Gloria Kehoe. Named after his father's favorite car brand, Chevrolet, Chevie's upbringing was nomadic and steeped in extremist beliefs. After his father's naval service during the Vietnam War, the family moved several times, eventually settling in a remote area of Stevens County, Washington, in 1985. There, they lived in relative isolation and poverty, embracing increasingly radical anti-government and white supremacist views, influenced by the Christian Identity movement.
Kehoe was an honor student in junior high with aspirations of joining the Air Force. However, in 1988, his parents pulled him and his younger brother, Cheyne, out of public school to be homeschooled, shielding them from what they viewed as corrupting government influence. His father, Kirby, urged him to become a "white warrior" instead of pursuing a military career. Kehoe became a devoted follower of Robert Mathews, the deceased leader of the neo-Nazi terrorist group "The Order," and began to formulate his own plan to incite a revolution. He created the Aryan People's Republic (APR), a militia intended to bring down the government and establish a white ethnostate. In his personal life, Kehoe embraced polygamy, marrying two women as a means to further the Aryan race.
The Murder of Jeremy Scott
As Kehoe began to recruit for his militia, he enforced his authority with violence. In the summer of 1995, he suspected a fellow white supremacist, 23-year-old Jeremy Scott, of being a government informant. On July 15, 1995, at a property near Priest River, Idaho, Kehoe ordered another follower, Faron Lovelace, to murder Scott. Lovelace beat Scott and then shot him in the back of the head. Kehoe's motive was also reportedly personal; he wanted Scott's common-law wife to enter into a relationship with him. Lovelace was later convicted in Idaho state court for the kidnapping and murder of Jeremy Scott and was sentenced to death.
The Mueller Family Murders
In January 1996, Kehoe's quest for funds and weapons led him to Tilly, Arkansas, and the home of William Mueller, a licensed gun dealer whom Kehoe and his father had previously robbed in 1995. Kehoe and his new recruit, Daniel Lewis Lee, whom he had met at a white supremacist compound in Oklahoma, planned to rob Mueller of his large collection of firearms, ammunition, and a rumored $50,000 in cash.
On January 11, 1996, Kehoe and Lee, dressed in clothing resembling police raid gear, invaded the Mueller family's isolated home. They overpowered William Mueller, 52, his wife Nancy Mueller, 28, and Nancy's daughter, eight-year-old Sarah Powell. After questioning the child about the location of valuables, they stole money, coins, and a substantial number of guns and ammunition. To eliminate all witnesses, Kehoe and Lee placed plastic bags over the heads of all three victims, secured them with duct tape, and suffocated them. They then weighed the bodies down with rocks and dumped them in the Illinois Bayou, a nearby body of water. The family's bodies were not discovered until June 1996.
The Victims
- Jeremy Scott, 23 — July 15, 1995, in Bonner County, Idaho. A fellow white supremacist murdered on Kehoe's orders by an accomplice because he was suspected of being an informant.
- William Mueller, 52 — January 11, 1996, in Tilly, Arkansas. A licensed gun dealer and firearms collector who was targeted for his weapons and cash.
- Nancy Ann Mueller, 28 — January 11, 1996, in Tilly, Arkansas. She was murdered alongside her husband during the home invasion robbery.
- Sarah Elizabeth Powell, 8 — January 11, 1996, in Tilly, Arkansas. Nancy Mueller's daughter, she was tragically killed to ensure there were no witnesses to the crime.
Investigation and Capture
The investigation into the Mueller family's disappearance initially moved slowly. It was nearly a year after the murders that a major break occurred. On February 15, 1997, Chevie and his brother Cheyne Kehoe were pulled over for expired tags on their Chevrolet Suburban in Wilmington, Ohio. The routine traffic stop erupted into violence. Cheyne Kehoe exited the vehicle and exchanged gunfire with a sheriff's deputy, while Chevie sped away, engaging in a separate shootout with another officer moments later. Miraculously, no officers were killed, though a bystander was wounded.
The dramatic dashcam footage of the shootouts was broadcast nationally, bringing intense media scrutiny. Though the brothers escaped, authorities identified them after a Washington state television reporter recognized Chevie from a prior interview. This launched a nationwide manhunt for the Kehoe brothers, who were featured on "America's Most Wanted."
The pressure and Chevie's escalating paranoia and violent talk—including threats against his own parents and a sexual interest in Cheyne's wife—caused a rift between the brothers. Fearing for his family's safety, Cheyne Kehoe surrendered to authorities on June 16, 1997. He confessed his brother's role in the Mueller murders and provided a map leading to Chevie's hideout. The next day, on June 17, 1997, Chevie Kehoe was arrested without incident in Utah. Information from Kehoe's mother, Gloria, who testified she feared for her life, was also crucial in leading to the arrests and securing convictions.
Trial and Sentence
Chevie Kehoe and Daniel Lewis Lee were indicted on federal charges in December 1997. Their joint trial began in 1999 in Little Rock, Arkansas. They faced charges of racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, and three counts of murder in aid of racketeering under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Kehoe's father, Kirby, was also charged with racketeering and pleaded guilty, receiving a 44-month sentence.
The prosecution presented a mountain of evidence, including testimony from Kehoe's own mother and brother. Gloria Kehoe testified that both Kehoe and Lee had confessed the murders to her. Cheyne Kehoe testified that his brother described the murders in detail, even admitting that he had killed Sarah Powell himself because Lee was unable to do it. Forensic evidence, including paint chips found on the duct tape used on the victims that matched Kehoe's vehicle, corroborated their testimony.
In a notable and controversial move, Kehoe's defense attorneys strategically sought to empanel a jury with as many Black members as possible, theorizing they would be more skeptical of government witnesses and less likely to impose the death penalty. The jury, composed of nine Black and three white jurors, convicted both Kehoe and Lee on all counts.
During the separate penalty phase, the jury voted against the death penalty for Chevie Kehoe, and he was sentenced to three consecutive terms of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole on June 25, 1999. In contrast, the jury recommended a death sentence for Daniel Lewis Lee. The disparity in sentencing was questioned by many, including the trial judge and the victims' family, who saw Kehoe as the ringleader. Lee was executed by lethal injection on July 14, 2020. Kehoe later appealed his conviction, arguing ineffective counsel due to the jury selection strategy, but his appeals were denied.
Aftermath and Legacy
Chevie Kehoe's crime spree and trial exposed a dark network of domestic terrorism fueled by white supremacist ideology. His Aryan People's Republic, though small, demonstrated a willingness to commit extreme violence in pursuit of its goals. The case highlighted the ongoing threat posed by such extremist groups in the United States.
Kehoe's brother, Cheyne, received a 24-year sentence for his role in the Ohio shootout, which was later reduced for his cooperation. He was released in 2008 but was later re-arrested with his father on federal firearms charges.
Chevie Kehoe remains incarcerated at USP Florence High, a high-security federal penitentiary in Colorado. The brutal and senseless murders of the Mueller family, particularly eight-year-old Sarah Powell, serve as a chilling reminder of the human cost of racial hatred and extremist violence.
