ATHENS, Ga. – A man has been arrested in Louisiana for murder after the burned remains of his wife were found at a home in Fayette County.
The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office says that 39-year-old Kenneth Hardin Jr. killed his wife Carrie Hardin with a gun, then set her body on fire and buried it in the backyard of their home on Merlin Court in Fayetteville early Tuesday morning.
The sheriff’s office said that his wife was killed early that morning after a fight.
The sheriff’s office in Fayette County said he told his family Wednesday morning that he was leaving town because he killed his wife in self-defense. It was said that his father called 911 right after the chat.
When police went to the Fayetteville home, they found Carrie Hardin’s partially burned body hidden “under yard debris” in a shallow grave in the backyard.
The sheriff’s office said they found Kenneth’s car in Covington, Louisiana, with the help of the Louisiana State Patrol and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office. His car was found at a hotel, and he was caught in his room by a SWAT team. He is being held at the St. Tammany Parish Correctional Center until he is sent to Fayette County.
The police haven’t said what Kenneth is being charged with.
