KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City man already convicted of one murder has been charged in the beating death of a woman who went missing in 2015.
Kevin O. Hurley, Sr., 59, is charged with second-degree murder. He's accused of killing Brandy K. Castaneda, 42.
Castaneda's body was found in a trash bag on Jan. 8, 2016 near 49th St. and Brooklyn Avenue in Kansas City. Officials determined her cause of death was homicide by blunt force trauma.
Her sister told police she hadn't been seen since Dec. 5, 2015. She was officially reported missing Dec. 23, 2015.
A DNA sample collected from Castaneda's left ankle matched Hurley, who, in 2013, was released on parole for a murder charge.
Hurley denied knowing the victim but said he has spent time at his niece's apartment building, which sits across the street from the victim's last known location, according to court documents.
Hurley's niece told investigators that Hurley was at her apartment on Dec. 5, the day Castaneda' was last seen. Hurley claimed he couldn't recall his whereabouts around December 2015 to January 2016.
Police obtained a search warrant for a buccal DNA swab from Hurley and matched it to a rope tied around the victim's hips.
Prosecutors requested a bond of $500,000 cash.
