Man allegedly kidnapped ex, tied her in wheelchair, then killed and buried her with new girlfriend’s help

POTOSI, Mo. (TCN) -- A man faces charges after allegedly kidnapping and beating his missing ex-girlfriend, tying her hands and feet with ratchet straps in a wheelchair, fatally shooting her, and having his new girlfriend help destroy evidence.

According to a probable cause statement from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, on June 20, Tony Charboneau allegedly punched and stomped on his ex-girlfriend, identified by KSDK-TV as Amy Houge, following an argument. Deputies allege that Charboneau and his new girlfriend, Brandi Luffy, placed Houge into a wheelchair and tied her hands and feet with ratchet straps.

Charboneau and Luffy reportedly gathered shovels, tarps, a pickax, and a gun before driving the victim to a wooded area near Charboneau’s home while Houge was still tied in the wheelchair. Charboneau allegedly dug a shallow grave with the tools they collected before taking Houge out of the wheelchair and fatally shooting her.

According to the sheriff’s office, Charboneau "spent the rest of the day burying her in the grave" and "covering her with large rocks and tree limbs." Luffy reportedly stayed in the car and acted as a lookout.

Following the burial, deputies allege Luffy and Charboneau destroyed the ratchet straps and tarp before disposing of the victim’s purse at a river in Jefferson County.

Luffy reportedly admitted to authorities that she assisted Charboneau in Houge’s death, and she led investigators to the victim’s remains. Officials with the sheriff’s office discovered Houge’s partially decomposed body with an apparent bullet wound to her head.

Washington County Prosecuting Attorney John Jones announced Aug. 5 that his office charged Charboneau with first-degree murder, first-degree domestic assault, first-degree kidnapping, abandonment of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence in a felony prosecution, and conspiracy to commit kidnapping. Luffy faces charges of felony murder, first-degree kidnapping, abandonment of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence in a felony prosecution, and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.

According to the Washington County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Charboneau was previously charged on suspicion of domestic assault against the victim. Those charges remain pending in the Washington County Associate Circuit Court.

In a statement, Jones said, "This case is horrifying in every respect, and my office will not rest until the victim’s killers are brought to justice."

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