Two west Kentucky men sentenced federally in murder-for-hire death

Two western Kentucky men have been federally sentenced for murder in relation to a murder-for-hire scheme that led to the death of a victim in Franklin, Kentucky.

According to U.S. Attorney for the Western District, 40-year-old Freddy Gonzalez of Bowling Green and 26-year-old Xavior Posey of Logan County, communicated via cellphone in December of 2020 to arrange for Posey to kill the victim for payment. Gonzalez provided Posey with a firearm—and in Franklin, Posey would shoot the victim three times with that firearm, kidding him, before returning it to Gonzalez in Bowling Green.

Gonzalez would later pay Posey for committing the murder. 

Gonzalez was sentenced to 40-years-in federal prison, to be followed by supervised release, for murder through the use of a firearm during a crime of violence. Posey was sentenced to 35-years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for the same offense.  There is no parole in the federal system. 

Related to the case, 37-year-old Andy Schmucker of Beaver Day, pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to the crime of murder for hire, and is scheduled for sentencing on December 2.