Person of interest in quadruple Oklahoma slaying involved in 2012 shooting at his salvage yard

The man named as a person of interest in the killing and dismemberment of four friends has a previous conviction for a 2012 shooting at his salvage yard — which is also one of the last known locations of the murdered men.

Joe Kennedy was arrested on Tuesday in Daytona Beach Shores, Fla., in a vehicle that had been reported stolen. He’d been wanted for questioning in the grisly slayings of Mark Chastain, 32, Billy Chastain, 30, Mike Sparks, 32, and Alex Stevens, 29.

The group, described as close friends, were last seen alive leaving Billy Chastain’s home on bicycles pulling trailers on Oct. 9 around 8 p.m.

[ Four missing friends found shot, dismembered in Oklahoma river; person of interest in custody ]

From there, authorities were able to track the men’s movements to a salvage yard west of Okmulgee and then a gas station through data collected from an app on Mark Chastain’s wife’s phone. Just before the cell lost power, it pinged at a second salvage yard and then an adjoining property, where authorities later uncovered blood.

Kennedy was the owner of both salvage yards visited by the victims. One of them, A&A Auto Salvage, was the site of a shooting nearly 10 years ago. The 67-year-old business owner is also a convicted felon serving a 10-year deferred sentence in connection with the decade-old gunplay, which was set to expire in May. According to News on 6, he opened fire on a group of 6 burglars, wounding one, and he was convicted in the case the following year.

[ Four bodies found in Oklahoma river amid search for missing friends who vanished during bike ride ]

Investigators are still trying to piece together the final hours of the Chastain brothers and their two friends. Okmulgee Police Chief Joe Prentice said they’ve collected evidence to suggest the men planned on carrying out “some type of criminal act,” but did not provide further details.

Their whereabouts remained a mystery for nearly a week, until a passerby spotted something “suspicious” in Deep Fork River on Friday. The dismembered bodies of the four men were pulled from the waters over the weekend, all of them in various states of decomposition.

While their cause of death has not yet been revealed, Prentice said all four men suffered gunshot wounds.

Volusia County jail records show Kennedy was in custody Wednesday without bond on suspicion of grand theft and two counts of being a fugitive from justice. He is not yet facing any charges for the quadruple murder.

Prentice said a warrant has also been issued for his arrest in connection with the 2012 case. According to court documents, Kennedy violated the terms of his probation when he fled Oklahoma for Florida last week, shortly after he was questioned about the four missing men. He told authorities at the time that he did not know them.