Murrieta Murder Suspects Arrested Months After Body Is Found

MURRIETA, CA — Two people have been arrested for the death of a man whose body was found earlier this summer in a shallow grave, Murrieta police said Thursday. The man's death, which was later tied to a Murrieta home, has been under investigation since June 2.

According to Murrieta police, it was on June 2 that the body of 54-year-old Henry Stange was found "partially covered" in the grave in Joshua Tree National Park. The case was initially investigated by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and the National Park Service.

"The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department conducted a follow up investigation on the 24000 block on New Clay Street in the City of Murrieta," Murrieta Police Lt. Mark Reid said in a news release. "A crime scene was discovered and the Murrieta Police Department took over the investigation."

Details about the case are limited at this time, but after nearly three months of investigation, Murrieta police on Wednesday arrested 30-year-old Curtis Krueger and 27-year-old Ashlie Stapp in Twentynine Palms, Reid said on Thursday.

The two were taken to the Cois Byrd Detention Center in French Valley where they were booked on suspicion of murder and conspiracy, records show. Bail was set at $1 million for each.

— Images via Murrieta Police Department