On July 8, 2023, the burned body of 42-year-old William Hamblin was found in a wooded area near the 1600 block of South High Street in Columbus, Ohio. Firefighters extinguished the flames and Hamblin was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators say he had an ongoing dispute with 42-year-old Robert Beine and Beine’s 24-year-old girlfriend Miranda King over allegedly stolen property.

Witnesses reported that two days before the discovery Beine threatened to kill Hamblin, with King encouraging him. Surveillance footage from the night of the killing reportedly shows Beine, King and an unidentified person entering the area where Hamblin’s body was later found, and flames were seen shortly afterward. Authorities allege Beine and King struck Hamblin with a blunt object, shot him and then set his body on fire.

Arrest warrants charging both with murder and gross abuse of a corpse were issued on August 20. The U.S. Marshals Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team arrested Beine and King at a Columbus gas station on September 7 after a brief pursuit; both were held at the Franklin County Jail pending initial court appearances. Does anyone have information about Hamblin’s movements in the days before July 8 or about the unidentified person seen on the surveillance footage?