LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT) – Updated 11 a.m. 9-16-2020
We are learning more about a Laurel County murder that left two people dead and one charged in the case.
Police say just before 5 p.m. Tuesday, a family member found Johnny Benge, 69, and his wife Mary, 66, dead in their home on Tomcat Trail just outside London.
Investigators say they were found in the living room with multiple gunshot wounds. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. Their bodies were taken to Frankfort for an autopsy.
Following a statewide manhunt for the suspect, the couple’s son, Joseph Benge, 40, was found and arrested in Mayfield Tuesday night.
Wednesday morning, Laurel County sheriff’s deputies traveled to Western Kentucky to pick up Benge and bring him back to Laurel County.
Benge is charged with two counts of murder, robbery and theft by unlawful taking.
He is being held in the Laurel County Correctional Center.
Updated 11:30 p.m. 9-15-2020
Police say Benge was caught by Kentucky State Police in Mayfield, Kentucky Tuesday night.
Original Story 7:15 p.m. 9-15-2020
A man is wanted in a double murder that happened Tuesday afternoon off Tomcat Trail.
Deputies say 40-year-old Joseph L. Benge fled the scene in a white Ford Taurus. The Kentucky license plate reads 118WFS.
Police say he is considered dangerous.
To report a tip, call Laurel County Sheriff’s Office at (606) 864-6600.
Unlike the photo, he currently has no beard or mustache.
