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Aug 20, 2007 10:10 pm US/Central
Couple Charged With Two Murders In Kentucky
Man Also Charged In Murder Of Montrose, Minn. Woman
Louisville (AP) ―
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Brooks, who sometimes uses the name Travis Allen Guntenaar, is also charged in Wright County, Minn., in the killing of Ruth Ouverson, 58, of rural Montrose, Minn.
A man and his woman companion were indicted Monday in two murders in Kentucky, the third state to charge the couple.
Jeremy Brooks, 27, of Greenwood, La., and Coty Martinez, 28, of Cut Off, La., were charged in connection with the deaths of Hugh Patrick O'Dea, 69, and an unidentified person in Louisville earlier this month. O'Dea's body was discovered on Aug. 4. The other victim was discovered on Aug. 6.
A grand jury in Louisville charged Brooks and Martinez each with two counts of complicity to commit murder. The couple also face several other charges, including complicity to commit robbery, tampering with physical evidence and fraudulent use of a credit card.
Brooks, who sometimes uses the name Travis Allen Guntenaar, is also charged in Wright County, Minn., in the killing of Ruth Ouverson, 58, of rural Montrose, Minn. Her body was found in a bedroom closet of her home on Aug. 4.
Brooks and Martinez also face charges of attempted first-degree murder and armed robbery on June 2 in Slidell, La., where authorities say Martinez lured a man to a hotel room and Brooks nearly beat him to death with a malt liquor bottle and a tire iron.
Louisville police officer Phil Russell said Kentucky will work with other states to prioritize who will get Brooks and Martinez first.
"We're not going to make our cases the priority," Russell said. "We'll work with the others and cooperate fully."
Brooks was arrested last week in a farm field north of Drake, in central North Dakota. North Dakota officials were investigating whether Brooks was involved with two barns that burned down during the search for him.
He was being held at the North Central Corrections and Rehabilitation Center in Rugby and waiting extradition to Minnesota. Martinez had been transferred to Minnesota last week.
Brooks is a journeyman heavyweight boxer using the ring moniker of "Superstar," with a professional boxing record of 4-2, according to BoxRec.com. His last fight was on Oct. 4, 2005, in Memphis, Tenn., where he lost by unanimous decision.
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