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9 Arrested In Murder Plot, Including Attorney And 3 California Highway Patrol Officers

MODESTO (CBS13) — Nine people, including three California Highway Patrol officers and a high-profile criminal defense attorney are under arrest in a bizarre murder plot.

Attorney Frank Carson is accused of killing a man named Korey Kauffman, who was last seen on March 30, 2012. His remains were found the following August in the Stanislaus National Forest.

Family and friends of CHP officer Walter Wells didn't want to comment the day after his arrest, and some of his neighbors were even brought to tears, also too upset to speak.

The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department is calling it a tangled case of conspiracy—nine total arrests in the three-year-old murder case.

Investigators say Kauffman was killed after he was caught stealing scrap metal from Carson's property in 2012.

"Kauffman supported his family by scrapping—a slang term used to describe activity related to metal thefts and property crimes as means to make money," Sheriff Adam Christianson said.

Deputies and the Department of Justice searched Carson's backyard on Friday.

A 324-page affidavit details the night Kauffman planned to take pipes from Carson's property. The antiques and metal on the property had long been a target of thieves. Witnesses say Carson had previously made threats that if he caught the thieves, their bodies would never be found.

Carson's wife also faces first-degree murder and conspiracy charges. Her daughter was also arrested for conspiracy and accessory. Also arrested were two brothers who own a Turlock liquor store that were once represented by Carson.

Wells was arrested in the murder, while two other CHP officers—including Kauffman's neighbor—were arrested for obstruction and conspiracy.

"This rips at the soul of our organization," said CHP Commissioner Joseph Farrow. "It's not what we stand for. It's so far beyond what any organization stands for."

CHP officer Wells is no longer employed by the department for conduct outside of this investigation. The other two officers are on administrative leave.

All nine suspects are expected to be arraigned on Tuesday.

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