Monster forced ex-girlfriend to watch her own grave being dug before shooting her in head, prosecutors say

A Missouri man is accused of kidnapping his ex-girlfriend, forcing her to watch as he dug her grave, and then fatally shooting her in the head.

Police say Tony L. Charboneau, 36, punched, kicked and even stomped his ex-girlfriend Amy Hogue, 43, during an argument on his property on June 20.

He and his current girlfriend, Brandi L Luffy, 40, then allegedly placed the victim in a wheelchair and “tied him up” [Hogue’s’] secure hands and feet to the wheelchair with tension straps, according to a probable cause statement filed by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

According to investigators, the couple then gathered shovels, a tarp, a pickaxe and a gun, loaded them into the bed of Charboneau’s vehicle and threw Hogue — still strapped into the wheelchair — into the backseat.

They then drove to a wooded area in Sullivan, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) southwest of St. Louis. Police said the couple unloaded Hogue from the car and drove her to a wooded hillside. Charboneau dug a shallow grave there as Hogue watched.

After the grave was completed, Charboneau lifted Hogue out of the wheelchair and shot her in the head, according to prosecutors.

He spent the rest of the day burying Hogue and covering her with large rocks and tree branches, while Luffy stayed with the vehicle and kept watch, the probable death affidavit said.

After fleeing the scene, Charboneau and Luffy reportedly burned the tie-downs and tarp and drove to a river access point in Jefferson County, where they threw Hogue’s bag into the water.

Meanwhile, Hogue’s family became concerned about her and reported her missing around the time of the attack, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.

Her sister in Franklin County and other out-of-state relatives then waited weeks for word of her whereabouts while police distributed a missing persons flyer. reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Detectives eventually recovered Hogue’s purse in mid-July.

“That was the day we realized she was probably dead,” said Sheriff Zach Jacobson.

He noted that the research was hampered by the rural setting.

“We’re trying to reconstruct this where there’s no cell service, so it’s hard to ping phones,” Jacobson explains.

‘It’s old-fashioned police work: knocking on doors, questioning everyone we meet and executing search warrants.

“They’re literally boots on the ground. No technology in God’s country,” he continued. “And without cell service, you’re not leaving a digital footprint.”

Luffy eventually admitted on August 2 that he had helped Charboneau commit the gruesome murder and led detectives to Hogue’s body, police said.

Police still don’t know what Hogue was doing at her ex’s house that day. Jacobson says, “All we know is she was trying to leave.

“She was about to leave the house when the brutal attack occurred,” he said.

Hogue had been assaulted by Charboneau before, Jacobson said, including in May 2023. He said police referred that case to the District Attorney’s Office, but no arrest warrant was ever issued.

But he had been charged twice with domestic violence against Hogue, reports the Kansas City Star.

He now also faces charges of first-degree murder, first-degree domestic violence, first-degree kidnapping, abandonment of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and conspiracy to commit a crime.

Charboneau remains in custody on $1 million cash bail and is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on August 28.

Luffy is also charged with second-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, abandoning a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and conspiracy to commit a crime.

She too remains in custody, but must now post $1 million bail. She is scheduled to appear for a bail reduction hearing on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Hogue’s family remembers her as a caring mother of three who was murdered just four days after becoming a grandmother for the first time, according to an online fundraiser.

“She was a mother and my best friend,” said her son, Corbin Crider, wrote on Facebook. “She didn’t deserve this.”

“There really are monsters in the world we live in,” he continued.

To the friends and family who knew my mother, she loved each and every one of you so very much.

“And to my mother, Mom, I love you all so much. I know you will always watch over us and guide us to the life you always wanted for your children.”

The online fundraiser, which is raising money for Hogue’s cremation and a ceremony to honor her life, also notes that Hogue “never met her first grandchild” and “was taken from them far too soon.”