Couple accused of plotting to kill a sex offender and then carrying out a murder in the desert

A couple has been arrested in Nevada on first-degree murder charges after a man was found stabbed to death along a remote desert road in Bullhead City, Arizona, police said.Jacob Dylan Middlebrook, 35, and Layne Justine McIntosh, 36, were taken into custody at a casino in Laughlin, Nevada, by officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. The couple, described by local authorities as transients from Bullhead City, had initially been booked on second-degree homicide charges before prosecutors upgraded the counts, according to the Bullhead City Police Department.The victim was identified as Arron Christopher Warren, 29, who was also living unhoused in the area. A passing motorist discovered his body on the shoulder of the road near Silver Creek Road and Bullhead Parkway in western Arizona, prompting detectives to initiate a homicide investigation, FOX 10 Phoenix reported.Detectives noted that Warren’s vehicle was absent from the scene. Hours later, police located the vehicle parked outside the casino in nearby Laughlin, where Middlebrook and McIntosh were later apprehended.Jacob Dylan Middlebrook, 35, faces charges of first-degree homicide after a man was found stabbed to death in the Arizona desert, according to the Bullhead City Police Department (Bullhead City Police Department)Investigators said the couple had known Warren for several months and had planned the killing, driven by animosity toward registered sex offenders. State records indicated that Warren was a registered Level 2 sex offender.“Detectives discovered that the couple had expressed distaste for registered sex offenders and had planned the homicide in advance,” the department said. “The couple reportedly pre-determined the desert location where they intended to leave Warren’s body. They also reportedly measured furniture/beds that could be large enough to cover the victim’s body along the side of the road.”Layne Justine McIntosh, 36, faces charges of first-degree homicide after a man was found stabbed to death in the Arizona desert, according to the Bullhead City Police Department (Bullhead City Police Department)The case has drawn attention to public registries for sex offenders. In a statement posted to social media, Paul George, the police chief in Bullhead City, defended the department’s practice of broadcasting registry updates online.“When a Level 2 or Level 3 sex offender moves into our area or, more commonly, changes addresses, the Bullhead City Police Department shares that information as a public service to help keep residents informed,” George wrote. “While required notifications are mailed to residents living within an approximate 1,000 feet radius of an offender’s registered address, we go a step further by sharing these notifications on social media to reach a broader audience.”Arron Christopher Warren, 29, was identified by investigators as the victim found stabbed to death along a desert road near Bullhead City, Arizona, on November 7 (National Sex Offender Public Website)He added: “Our goal is to provide information, not create fear or alarm. We believe an informed community is a safer community.” Middlebrook and McIntosh are held at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas pending extradition to Mohave County, Arizona. Authorities did not release additional details on how investigators initially connected the suspects to the vehicle, and said the investigation remained open.