Crime scene photos reveal merciless killing in Fayette county
Fayette County man sentenced to life for killing wife
Ken Hardin, Jr. was sentenced last week in Fayette County Court to life in prison without parole.
FAYETTE COUNTY, Ga. - Ken Hardin, Jr. was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the August 2024 murder of his wife. He’d asked for less, but the judge said the mercy he was asking for is the mercy he should have shown his wife.
Kenneth Hardin Jr. mugshot, courtesy of the Fayette County Sheriff's Office.
A statement reflected in the crime scene photos FOX 5 has obtained from investigators now the case is closed.
Crime scene photos
What we know:
The crime happened at the couple's Fayette County gated home, which is a very large and beautiful house where the couple lived with their two young sons.
Crime scene photos released by the Fayette County Sheriff's Office.
Hardin was a minister, a street preacher, seen in photographs with a microphone and speakers on street curbs. Carrie Hardin, 40, was a registered nurse and owner of what has been described as a multi-million-dollar nurse staffing business.
Inside, investigators would make some gruesome discoveries. First, blood stains that they said showed Hardin had tried to scrub Carrie's blood from the carpet after shooting his wife. Also, bullet holes. Investigators said Hardin shot her nine times.
Deputies made a terrible discovery in the couple’s backyard. Using a K9, a cadaver dog, they discovered a pit where Hardin had attempted to burn Carrie’s body. Not far away, the dog located her remains in a shallow grave.
Victim's family responds
What they're saying:
Carrie’s mother, Yvonne Smith, told FOX Carrie had told a family friend she had already taken another job out of state and had plans to take her two sons and leave Ken.
"She told me she had plans for that Monday, but my daughter never made it," Smith said. "She had told a friend that she had accepted a position at a VA hospital, not even from her company, so she could get away from Ken."
Yvonne Smith said that Carrie had once used her college school book money to pay a friend's overdue electricity bill, and when the friend couldn’t pay it back, Carrie worked extra shifts so she could buy her books that semester.
She described her daughter as very loving and very missed.
The getaway
What we know:
Something we’ve not seen until now is a photo of his white Cadillac. Fayette County Sheriff’s investigators tracked it to Louisiana, after he had confessed to his father that he had killed Carrie. He was then arrested by deputies at a motel in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana.
Hardin's car he took to Louisiana, released by the Fayette County Sheriff's Office.
Investigators say before fleeing Georgia, Hardin asked his father to fly to Georgia. He then handed over all his assets to his father as well as custody of his two sons.
The motive
What they're saying:
Fayette Sheriff’s investigators testified that after his capture, Hardin told them that he had learned of Carrie's plan to leave him. They believe that was the motive for the killing.
Investigators say in court, Hardin, Sr. testified that he now lives in the home with custody of the two children.
District Attorney Marie Broder said about the sentencing that it will not bring Carrie back, but it gives the family some measure of justice and dignity to her legacy.
The Source: Information in this article came from FOX 5's Doug Evans speaking with sheriff's deputies who provided the photos.