MORGAN COUNTY, OHIO, Ohio — A 43-year-old man accused of killing a couple from Circleville has been charged with two counts of aggravated murder, according to the Morgan County Sheriff's County.
On July 26, the sheriff's office assisted the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to conduct a well-being check at the equine area of the Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area after ODNR felt that "something was just not right", which led to a woman reporting her son and his girlfriend missing, according to the sheriff's office.
The couple, later identified in court documents as 36-year-old Steven Sturgill Jr. and 39-year-old Crystal Burchett, had visited Morgan County to camp.
Family members told investigators they lost contact with them about three weeks ago.
Deputies and ODNR officers searched the equine camping area and found the couple's trailer and vehicle.
After conducting interviews, the sheriff's office said law enforcement officers searched wooded areas surrounding the equine area.
During that search, the bodies of Sturgill Jr. and Burchett were found in two different locations, the sheriff's office said.
A preliminary autopsy report showed the couple had gunshot wounds. The sheriff's office said their deaths are homicides.
Brian Weimert, 43, is in custody at the Southeast Ohio Regional Jail and is being held on a $1 million bond.
