Mark Bethel Found Guilty of 2015 Buffalo Springs Lake Killings

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On Friday, November 5th, Mark Bethel was found guilty of the killing of Jessica Payton and Shawn Summers near Buffalo Springs Lake back in 2015.

KAMC News reports that Mark plotted with his cousin, David Bethel, to murder both the victims after it was revealed that Summers might have been in an intimate relationship with Payton, who was Mark's girlfriend.

Payton's body was found in a pool of water at County Road 3600 and East County Road 7300. Her body was weighed down with cinder blocks.

Summers' body was found in a burning vehicle at 19th Street and County Road 2800.

One of Mark's neighbors testified about what he heard the day of the murder. He said that he walked out on his front porch and heard gunfire from inside another house. Afterwards, he saw the curtain pull back and a man look back and forth suspiciously. Another witness also heard several gunshots the same night.

When Summers' body was found in the burning vehicle, the person who called in the fire said that they saw some pull away from the burning vehicle hurriedly.

Summer's body was found burned and unrecognizable. 2 bullets were recovered from his body. Payton's body revealed gunshot wounds to the head and multiple blunt force injuries to the head.

The jury went into deliberations about Mark a bit before noon and came back with their guilty verdict just before 2:30 p.m. Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty, so Mark faces life in prison.