Man charged with killing two men in Elizabethtown was also charged with murdering his mother and brother decades ago

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – The man accused of murdering two men in Elizabethtown and then burning the house down was just released from prison four months ago.

WAVE News archives reveal that 30 years ago, in 1994, police arrested Dustin Caudill for the murder of his mother and brother. He was just 15 years old.

Caudill was accused of killing his mother, 33-year-old Karen Caudill, and his brother Nicholas, 10 years his junior, in April 1994 in Brandenburg, Meade County. Investigators said he got into an argument with his brother and shot him while they were home alone. Authorities said he then shot his mother when she returned home later that evening.

Caudill spent 24 years in prison before being released on April 1, 2020. On May 11, 2023, he returned to Department of Corrections custody for violating his probation. He was then released again on July 1, 2024.

Now, less than four months after his second release, Caudill is charged with murder and arson after shooting 41-year-old Blake France and 43-year-old Anthony Garrett and burning down an Elizabethtown home.

Witnesses told police they saw a gold pickup truck leaving the scene. Police said they later found the truck at a local motel. Authorities said they found the victim's belongings in Caudill's motel room.

Police say there is also security video that shows Caudill throwing a gun into a gas station trash can. Officials said Caudill admitted to shooting the two men, intentionally setting the fire and stealing their wallets.

Caudill was taken into custody and is charged with two counts of murder: first-degree arson, tampering with evidence, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, first-degree robbery and first-degree wanton endangerment.

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