GRUESOME

Oklahoma Family Charged After Two Black Men Found Dismembered and Chained in Pond

Authorities believe the crime stemmed from a gun sale gone wrong.

A white family in Oklahoma has been charged in connection with the deaths of two black men found dismembered and chained to cinder blocks in a pond. Authorities say the grisly killings do not appear to be a hate crime but were instead part of a Craisglist gun sale gone wrong. The victims, identified as Alize Smith and Jarron Moreland, both 21, had been reported missing four days before their bodies were found on April 18. Prosecutors on Thursday said two brothers were behind their deaths, and they allegedly got help from their mother to pull off the crime. Kevin Garcia-Boettler, 22, is charged with being an accessory to the murder allegedly carried out by his 16-year-old brother, who has not been identified but faces first-degree murder charges. The brothers’ mother, Crystal Boettler, also faces charges for allegedly being an accessory to the murder, along with her boyfriend. Prosecutors say the Garcia-Boettler brothers set up a meeting with Smith and Moreland after seeing a Craiglist ad for a gun, but it remains unclear what led to the killings.