The Anderson County Kansas Sheriff's Department will hold Blurton on a fugitive complaint. A court official says, in cases like this, Missouri is generally given 90 days to file a governor's warrant to start extradition proceedings. He'll stay in the Allen County jail in Iola because Anderson County doesn't have a jail right now. His next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 13.

Extradition is a legal procedure in which one governor formally asks another governor to return a prisoner to the first governor’s state to face charges. Arrested people often waive that procedure, allowing law officers to bypass the governors’ offices and the second state’s court system and speedily return a prisoner across state lines.

When Blurton returns to the Benton County jail in Warsaw, his bond is set at $3 million. A judge sealed the probable cause statement used as the basis of the murder charges because it contains confidential information in the ongoing search for others. Officers believe Blurton did not act alone in killing Donnie, Sharon and Taron Luetjen.
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(Sat., 6/27/09) COLE CAMP, Mo. -- The Missouri Highway Patrol says Robert Blurton is responsible for a triple homicide here this month. Blurton is a nephew of two of the murder victims. Investigators believe robbery is the motive behind the murders but they won't go into what was taken.

A 911 tape and DNA evidence at the scene linked investigators to the suspect. Sgt. Scott Meyer with the Missouri Highway Patrol says the investigation is ongoing. Cole Camp Police Chief Storm Walker says they're seeking at least one more person.

The bodies of Donnie and Sharon Luetjen and their 15-year-old granddaughter Taron Luetjen were found on June 9 at their home. To see previous reports on the case, click on the links at the left.

Blurton is charged with three counts of first-degree murder. A Highway Patrol spokesman said he surrendered to police at his home in Garnett, Kan., and has been cooperative. The arrest warrant was served at 12:10 a.m. Saturday.

The investigation has involved the Cole Camp Police Department, Benton County (Mo.) Sheriff's Department, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Coffey County (Kan.) Sheriff's Department, Anderson County (Kan.) Sheriff's Department, Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Garnett Police Department, and Johnson County (Mo.) Sheriff's Department.
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Here's an edited version of The Associated Press' report by Maria Sudekum Fisher:

A 45-year-old man is charged for the shooting deaths of three of his relatives at their home in rural west-central Missouri this month. Sgt. Scott Meyer of the Missouri State Highway Patrol said Robert Blurton is in the Allen County (Kan.) jail on three counts of first-degree murder. His bond is set at $3 million.

The bodies of Taron Luetjen, 15, and her grandparents, Donnie Luetjen, 64, and Sharon Luetjen, 61, were found June 9 at their home in Cole Camp, a community of about 1,000 people about 105 miles north of Springfield. They each died of a single gunshot wound.

Meyer said Blurton, a nephew of Donnie and Sharon Luetjen, was arrested without incident early Saturday at his home in Garnett, Kan.

Investigators also are seeking one or more additional suspects, Meyer said. Robbery appears to be a possible motive but Meyer would not say what was stolen from the home.

"This is partial closure for the family and the community of Cole Camp," Meyer said. "But this is just partial closure. We're not done."

Stormy Walker, Cole Camp police chief, said the Rural Missouri Major Case Squad, which has been helping with the investigation, will meet Tuesday to discuss additional leads or developments.

Johnson County Sheriff Charles Heiss, the officer in charge of the Rural Missouri Case Squad, said a cell phone call that came from inside the victims' home on the evening of June 7 and DNA evidence taken from the scene led authorities to Blurton. He said Blurton has been cooperating with authorities.

Debra Kost, mother of Taron Luetjen, said she is "shocked" by the news of the arrest. She said she doesn't know Blurton. Kost lost custody of Taron to the Luetjens when Taron was a young child.

"I can't believe someone in their own family could do this," she said. "I'm kind of relieved that they found somebody, but I'm just kind of shocked. How do you do that to your family, and a 15-year-old?"