A Kentucky man has been charged with his partner’s murder, and investigators say he created a to-do list in an attempt to conceal it.
According to court documents obtained by WKYT and FOX 56, 39-year-old Daniel Kearney was arrested on Friday, September 12, after Kentucky State Police (KSP) troopers arrived at the home he shared with his partner, 36-year-old Damian Poole, in Stearns, near the Tennessee border.
According to the documents, Poole’s mother first reported him missing to the McCreary County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) on Tuesday, September 9.
On September 12, state troopers went to search the pair’s home — a camper where they lived together after moving to Kentucky from Colorado — and discovered what they believed to be Poole’s remains.
According to FOX 56, investigators discovered Poole’s body in a back room of the camper, covered in several blankets, with two gunshot wounds to the head and having been dead for several days.
Poole’s ankles were bound with a nylon rope, and authorities believe the body was moved, according to FOX 56. Investigators believe two dogs were shot and died in the same location.
Several bullet holes, a pile of sheets, clothing, and cardboard covered in blood were discovered at the scene, along with an AR-style rifle, other guns, and several pools of blood, according to the outlet.
According to FOX 56, among the evidence discovered at the scene was a to-do list allegedly written by Kearney, which included reminders to clean up, dispose of evidence, paint things in the home with an odor sealant, and dispose of Poole’s body.
The list also included instructions on how to burn items and spread ashes in other states.
According to FOX 56, neighbors who spoke with police reported that Kearney and Poole fought frequently, and gunshots were occasionally heard coming from their home. They also claimed that they asked Kearney about Poole’s whereabouts after he hadn’t been seen in a while, and Kearney allegedly stated that Poole had moved to another state in the middle of the night.
Witnesses described Kearney as “aggressive,” “violent,” and a “powder keg,” according to the outlet.
Kearney is charged with murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and second-degree animal cruelty. He was taken to the Knox County Detention Center, where a judge set a bond of $1 million.
He is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday, September 18.
