Suspect killed girlfriend, kidnapped her four young children sparking a manhunt. Police say they caught him.
Feb. 7 2022, Published 9:23 a.m. ET
A Kentucky man murdered his girlfriend and kidnapped four children, then was arrested in a neighboring state, police said.
Richard Samuel Gray, 32, was accused of murdering Tabitha Murray, in Bardstown, Kentucky, around 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 4.
Bardstown police said a young girl, later identified as the half-sister of one of the abducted children, called the authorities for a well-being check on her mother. Murray was found dead on the kitchen floor when officers arrived, police said.
Officers said Gray fled the scene in Murray’s Jeep, taking four boys with him, including his 1-year-old child he shared with Murray. A 6-,9-,10- year old were also missing.
Kentucky officials issued an Amber Alert around 10:30 p.m..
"I couldn't believe it. I still can't. It's like she will pull up or call, but it's not going to happen. I don't know. I'm hurt, like big-time hurt," Tabitha's sister, Katrina Murray, told WYLK News.
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The children were located at a gas station in Mount Vernon, Illinois, where Gray was taken into custody around 11:15 p.m., according to The Bardstown Police.
The four juveniles were unharmed, according to the Nelson County Gazette.
"I've been here since 2017, I've never seen nothing like this in my neighborhood before and it was so quiet," neighbor Chastity Gilbert told WDRB 41 News. "I knew she was a really good girl, she never did bother nobody she never did anything to nobody."
Gray was charged with murder and unlawful imprisonment and is awaiting extradition to Kentucky.
Police have not released a possible motive for the killings.
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