Prosecutors in Missouri are filing two counts of first-degree murder against the man accused in the disappearance of two brothers from the Seymour area.
Caldwell County Sheriff Jerry Galloway announced the charges against Garland “Joey” Nelson this morning.
Nick and Justin Diemel disappeared in July, after they went to Nelson’s farm in Braymer, northeast of Kansas City. Investigators believe the brothers were killed on the farm.
Nelson is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and abandoning a corpse. He’s also facing several other counts, including tampering with evidence and tampering with a vehicle.
The brothers owned Diemel’s Livestock and they did business with Nelson.
An affidavit in the case obtained by Action 2 News says it’s believed Nelson “acted alone or in concert with others” in committing the act of murder.
After driving the Diemels’ rental truck to a park-and-ride lot, prosecutors say he arranged for someone to pick him up and take him back to the farm.
The affidavit says Nelson “found and observed two bodies he believed were Nick and Justin Diemel dead, each inside of a 55-gallon metal barrel.”
It says the bodies were moved, and then burnt after an unknown liquid and diesel fuel were poured over them.
On July 30, human remains were discovered in a manure pile on Nelson’s 74-acre farm in Braymer. Based on DNA comparisons, those remains are believed to be Nick and Justin Diemel.
Prosecutors say Nelson told them the burned remains were placed into a manure pile, and he used a skid loader to crush the burn barrels and dispose of them. They say he then cleaned up blood in the barn.
The affidavit says a blood stain on Nelson’s clothing matched Nick Diemel’s DNA.
