Lacefield now charged with murder in shooting death of Johnnie Hayes

The Caneyville man accused of shooting and killing Johnnie Hayes has had a first-degree assault charge upgraded to a murder charge.

Adam Lacefield, 30, was charged last week with first-degree assault in the shooting death of the 59-year-old Hayes, of Caneyville, but the Ohio County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release that Lacefield has now been charged with murder.

Hayes was found deceased in a vehicle on Bluff Street, in Rosine, at approximately 5:00 the evening of January 16. He had been shot twice with a small caliber firearm.

Lacefield was arrested the night Hayes was killed on an outstanding warrant, with Hayes’ former girlfriend, 39-year-old Wanda Ferguson, arrested two days later and 40-year-old Mandy Decker, of Beaver Dam, arrested on January 17.

Ferguson has been charged with tampering with physical evidence, possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) and failure to report a dead body. Decker is charged with possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine, second offense) and failure to report a dead body.

According to Ohio County Sheriff Tracy Beatty, aiding in the murder investigation was a home security video system recovered at a residence near 33 Bluff Street, where Hayes was found shot to death.

In late November, Hayes and Ferguson were shot as they chased would-be burglars in a vehicle on Richland Road. And about two weeks later, Hayes found an explosive device in his barn. Police have not said whether Hayes’ murder is related to the two earlier incidents.

All three suspects are lodged in the Ohio County Detention Center, Lacefield on a $200,000 cash bond, Ferguson on two bonds totaling $60,000 cash and Decker a $10,000 cash bond.