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On Tuesday, October 26th, opening statements began in the trial of 59-year-old Mark Bethel, who stands accused of murdering both Jessica Ann Payton and Shawn Summers back in 2015.

Payton's body was found weighed down with cinder blocks in a pool of water at County Road 3600 and East County Road 7300. Summer's body was found in a burning vehicle at East County Road 6700 near County Road 2800.

Prosecutors allege that Mark plotted with his cousin, David Bethel, to murder both Payton and Summers after they found out that Summers might have had an "intimate relationship" with Payton, who was said to have been Mark's girlfriend.

KAMC news reports that neighbors heard yelling and gunshots back on October 28th, 2015. A few days later, prosecutors allege Summers was lured to a location and was shot and burned in his car. The call for the vehicle fire came at around 11:40 p.m., and the original caller said that he saw another vehicle pull away from the one engulfed in flames.

Blood evidence would be found days later in Mark's home.

Prosecutors said that Mark was the reason that both Jessica and Shawn were killed, and that he "picked her up from her job and took her to his house and killed her."

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