FORSYTH, Mo. -- A Taney County grand jury indicted a third man for the murders of Becky and Rusty Porter of rural Greene County 18 months ago. Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Merrell says a judge issued a warrant on Wednesday for Phillip Friend. Law enforcement officers arrested him later in the day in Kansas City, where Merrell believes he lives.
Friend, 26, is a son of Tony Friend, who was indicted on Oct. 3 along with Dusty Hicks. All three men are charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action, and two counts of felonious restraint. Tony Friend and Hicks made their first court appearances on the charges last week.
Investigators believe the Porters were kidnapped at their home northeast of Willard on April 18, 2011, taken to Taney County, and shot in their heads. Officers found their remains buried in a remote area near Pro Tem in July 2011.
After the couple vanished, the home was unlocked and visitors smelled bleach as if the home had been cleaned to conceal blood and other evidence. Investigators have not said what the motive for the murders was, if they know it.
One law enforcement source recently said investigators knew quickly who killed the Porters but didn't have enough evidence to get charges filed until this fall.
