Man charged with killing Olathe woman weeks before police found body
OLATHE, Kan. (KCTV) - A man is in custody and charged with killing a 75-year-old Olathe woman weeks before police found her body.
The Johnson County District Attorney’s Office charged 47-year-old Dartanan Hudgens with premeditated first-degree murder in the death of Karen M. Peterson.
Olathe police responded to Peterson’s home on the corner of N. Persimmon Drive and Courte Drive Wednesday, April 30. Someone who knew Peterson contacted police and asked them to check on her.
Investigators said they located Peterson’s body at the home.
Court documents accuse Hudgens of killing Peterson between March 11 and March 21, more than a month before police found her remains.
A Johnson County judge found probable cause in the case after reviewing the complaint and affidavit, according to online court records posted over the weekend. The judge set Hudgens bond at $1 million.
If Hudgens is able to make bond he will be on house arrest with GPS monitoring. He is also ordered not use alcohol or drugs or have contact with any witnesses in the case according to online court records.
Booking logs show Hudgens is expected to be in court again Monday afternoon.
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