Published on: November 7, 2024, 09:51h.
Last updated on: November 7, 2024, 10:02h.
A café manager at Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Ken. was sentenced to 40 years in a federal prison on Tuesday for the murder of his ex-girlfriend’s former husband.
Freddy Gonzalez, 40, enlisted another employee from the Corner Café at Kentucky Downs’ Mint Gaming Hall, Xavior Posey, who had a criminal record, to carry out the murder of Brian Russell. This was fueled by Gonzalez’s fixation on Russell’s ex-wife, Miranda Russell.
Gonzalez compensated Posey, 26, with $2,000, a pickup truck, and a salary bump for carrying out the homicide. Posey received a 35-year prison sentence on Tuesday.
Franklin police responded to reports of gunshots at the victim’s residence on the morning of December 30, 2020. They discovered Russell with three gunshot wounds – two to the chest and one to the head.
Russell was found in critical condition, struggling to breathe and seeking help. Despite efforts by medical personnel, he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Childhood Sweethearts
The court learned that the Russells had a history as childhood sweethearts. After 16 years of marriage, they separated in 2018 and later divorced, but maintained an on-and-off relationship while co-parenting their two children.
Miranda Russell dated Gonzalez starting in February 2020, before breaking up with him approximately eight months later to reconcile with Brian Russell. During their separation, Gonzalez harbored feelings for Miranda, as stated by prosecutors.
A month later, Miranda terminated her relationship with Brian and resumed seeing Gonzalez, but ultimately ended things with him for good on December 15. She spent the last two weeks of her ex-husband’s life with him.
Concurrently, Gonzalez spent those two weeks monitoring Miranda and orchestrating Brian’s murder.
He bombarded her with texts, discreetly placed a tracking device on her vehicle, monitored her movements, and engineered chance encounters with her,” prosecutors explained.
In the days prior to his death, Brian Russell confided in colleagues that Gonzalez had threatened his life and even pointed a gun at him. This elevated Gonzalez as the primary suspect in the case, despite his denial of involvement during police questioning.
Tracking Device Uncovers Scheme
Upon finding the tracking device Gonzalez had installed on Miranda Russell’s vehicle, which Brian was using at the time, and deactivating it, Gonzalez promptly contacted the Franklin Police Department, according to legal documents.
He admitted to placing the device, citing that it was solely for tracking Miranda’s whereabouts to verify her faithfulness during their relationship.
I was unaware that the ex-husband would be driving her car when I placed the device in it,” Gonzalez added.
Authorities arrested Gonzalez for first-degree stalking and seized his phone, subsequently obtaining a warrant to examine its contents. Text exchanges between Gonzalez and Posey were retrieved, incriminating them both in the murder. The messages used the phrase “cleaning the kitchen” as a code for the crime.
When Posey was apprehended on January 9, 2021, on prior warrants, police discovered Gonzalez’s hand-drawn illustration of the victim’s residence.