WAVE 3 TV Louisville, KY | Court documents allege murder victim suffered brutal beating

Court documents allege murder victim suffered brutal beating

By Janelle MacDonald

(CROTHERSVILLE, Ind.) -- Three suspects in the murder of 35-year-old Aaron Hall made their first appearance in court late Tuesday. As WAVE 3 Investigator Janelle MacDonald reports, according to court documents, it was a night of drinking whiskey and beer that went horribly wrong.

Three people are charged in connection with Hall's brutal beating death: 19-year-old Garrett Gray and 18-year-old Coleman king face murder charges; 21-year-old Robert James ("Jamie") Hendricks has been charged with assisting a criminal. 

At first, police didn't know the motive for the crime, but now Jackson County Sheriff's Detective Robert Henley says the suspects have told police that the victim, Aaron Hall, made an obscene motion and homosexual suggestion to King.

At that point, King allegedly "went crazy on Hall," beating him with his fists.

Investigators say Gray joined in, and both men beat Hall with their fists; and at one point detectives say King even removed his boot and used that to hit Hall. The beating allegedly continued for several hours, though court documents say the men paused to photograph themselves with their arms around Hall's beaten body.

According to the affidavit filed by prosecutors, King and Gray, along with the third suspect, Hendricks, then dragged Hall out of the house by his feet, with his head hitting the stairs, and dumped him in a ditch.

Detective Henley says Gray told investigators "he thought (Hall) was still alive at this point, but his breathing was very labored."

According to investigators, days later, King, Gray and Hendricks retrieved Hall's body from the ditch and hid it in Gray's garage behind some cabinets.

Online Reporter: Janelle MacDonald

Online Producer: Michael Dever