Former Louisville woman murdered, burned in Louisiana

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Three people are behind bars in Louisiana, charged with the murder of a former Louisville woman.

It happened early Thursday morning in Slidell, Louisiana, about 700 miles from Louisville.

32-year-old Ashley King grew up in Louisville and graduated in 1998 from Sacred Heart Academy.

Just a few weeks ago, she moved to Louisiana, where she started a new chapter of her young life.

But that all came to a tragic end this week with an apartment fire in Slidell, Louisiana.

After the massive fire early February 23, King's body was found inside one of the units.

But police said it turns out that fire was actually a cover-up for the 32-year-old's murder.

Police in Louisiana have since arrested Andrew Sumner, 19, Katelyn Lusich, 17, and Devin Baham, 21, and charged them with first-degree homicide.

Detectives believe the murder happened Wednesday when King was robbed, and that the three suspects started the fire Thursday morning to cover up the homicide.

In a statement to WAVE 3 News, Ashley King's family said: "Ashley was truly loved by her family and was well-known throughout the Louisville community. Her sudden and tragic death has left us in disbelief. We have every intention of following this case through and are grateful to the Slidell Police Department for all they have done to seek justice for Ashley."

Funeral services will be held in Louisville, but are pending.

Copyright 2012 WAVE News. All rights reserved.