Post by SoulTrainOz on Jul 26, 2006 4:15:06 GMT -5
in death of their niece
Indictment alleges they beat and smothered her.
By Claire Osborn, Austin American-Statesman
A grand jury has increased the charges against an Austin couple accused of killing their niece.
Tony Holmes, 26, and his wife, Karen Bunton, 38, were indicted Wednesday for capital murder in the death of Latoya Finley, 22, whose body was found in her car after Bunton and Holmes were stopped by police in Abilene.
The pair had been charged with murder, which carries a maximum punishment of life in prison. The charges were increased because the grand jury also accused them of robbing Finley, according to the indictments.
A person can be charged with capital murder for killing someone in the course of committing another crime. Holmes and Bunton now face life in prison or death if convicted.
The Travis County District Attorney's office hasn't decided whether to pursue the death penalty against the couple, Assistant District Attorney Buddy Meyer said. The office's capital punishment committee, which makes recommendations to District Attorney Ronnie Earle on whether to seek the death penalty, has not considered the case yet.
Holmes and Bunton also face charges of tampering with physical evidence because they're accused of concealing Finley's body.
According to the indictments, both Holmes and Bunton killed Finley by "piercing her body with a sharp object," striking her with their hands and with a blunt object, and smothering her with their hands.
Holmes and Bunton remain in the Taylor County Jail in Abilene, where Holmes is charged with theft and Bunton is charged with evading arrest. Meyer said it wasn't clear which charges they will face first.
"My experience in similar type situations is that usually the more serious case is tried first," he said.
Finley's mother reported her missing after she vanished Feb. 24, the day she had told her family she was going to Los Angeles to begin a music career.
She never arrived in California, according to investigators. Holmes and Bunton told authorities they had dropped her off in the parking lot of an Austin apartment complex and that her boyfriend was supposed to take her to the airport. They also told investigators that Finley had given them permission to drive her car while she was in California.
Investigators were never able to find the boyfriend and are not sure he even existed, according to an arrest affidavit. They discovered March 13 that several of Finley's belongings had been pawned, including a camera and her car stereo.
Holmes and Bunton cut off communication with authorities and did not follow through with a promise to return Finley's car.
A tip from a witness led investigators to alert the Abilene Police
Department that the couple was possibly in the Abilene area. Abilene police discovered Finley's remains April 14 in her Hyundai Elantra after Holmes and Bunton led police on a brief chase along Interstate 20, authorities said.
Source : Austin American-Statesman
www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/07/22finley.html
Indictment alleges they beat and smothered her.
By Claire Osborn, Austin American-Statesman
A grand jury has increased the charges against an Austin couple accused of killing their niece.
Tony Holmes, 26, and his wife, Karen Bunton, 38, were indicted Wednesday for capital murder in the death of Latoya Finley, 22, whose body was found in her car after Bunton and Holmes were stopped by police in Abilene.
The pair had been charged with murder, which carries a maximum punishment of life in prison. The charges were increased because the grand jury also accused them of robbing Finley, according to the indictments.
A person can be charged with capital murder for killing someone in the course of committing another crime. Holmes and Bunton now face life in prison or death if convicted.
The Travis County District Attorney's office hasn't decided whether to pursue the death penalty against the couple, Assistant District Attorney Buddy Meyer said. The office's capital punishment committee, which makes recommendations to District Attorney Ronnie Earle on whether to seek the death penalty, has not considered the case yet.
Holmes and Bunton also face charges of tampering with physical evidence because they're accused of concealing Finley's body.
According to the indictments, both Holmes and Bunton killed Finley by "piercing her body with a sharp object," striking her with their hands and with a blunt object, and smothering her with their hands.
Holmes and Bunton remain in the Taylor County Jail in Abilene, where Holmes is charged with theft and Bunton is charged with evading arrest. Meyer said it wasn't clear which charges they will face first.
"My experience in similar type situations is that usually the more serious case is tried first," he said.
Finley's mother reported her missing after she vanished Feb. 24, the day she had told her family she was going to Los Angeles to begin a music career.
She never arrived in California, according to investigators. Holmes and Bunton told authorities they had dropped her off in the parking lot of an Austin apartment complex and that her boyfriend was supposed to take her to the airport. They also told investigators that Finley had given them permission to drive her car while she was in California.
Investigators were never able to find the boyfriend and are not sure he even existed, according to an arrest affidavit. They discovered March 13 that several of Finley's belongings had been pawned, including a camera and her car stereo.
Holmes and Bunton cut off communication with authorities and did not follow through with a promise to return Finley's car.
A tip from a witness led investigators to alert the Abilene Police
Department that the couple was possibly in the Abilene area. Abilene police discovered Finley's remains April 14 in her Hyundai Elantra after Holmes and Bunton led police on a brief chase along Interstate 20, authorities said.
Source : Austin American-Statesman
www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/07/22finley.html