Two Columbus brothers are facing unrelated murder charges following a shooting this weekend in Holly Hills.
The Columbus Police Department arrested Billy Lee “Boo Boo” Kennedy as a suspect in the shooting death of 41-year-old Carl Junior Miller on Saturday. He was charged with murder Monday. His bond was set at $1 million by Judge Shane Tompkins. He remained in custody at Lowndes County Adult Detention Center this morning.
CPD thought they arrested Billy Lee Kennedy earlier this year, but they had not. They had arrested his brother, Arthur Kennedy, for a shooting at the Heidi Ho club on New Year’s Day.
Arthur Kennedy, 32, gave his brother’s name at the time of his arrest, something he had done in prior arrests, according to CPD criminal investigations division Capt. Brent Swan.
After CPD issued a press release saying Billy Lee Kennedy had been arrested and charged for the murder of Timothy Barker on Jan. 1, people began calling authorities claiming it was Arthur Kennedy, not Billy Lee Kennedy, in custody. CPD cross-referenced the claims with law enforcement in Choctaw County, where the Kennedy brothers are from. Eventually, they confirmed the claims were accurate.
On Saturday, Miller was found shot in a parked vehicle outside the home at 2602 Puckett Parkway — where the Kennedy brothers had been living together.
Billy Lee Kennedy, 30, was at the scene when police arrived around 2:30 a.m. Saturday. He gave a false name before being arrested, according to Swan.
Miller is the Kennedy brothers’ second cousin. He moved to Starkville from California in October, authorities say. Police are not releasing specifics regarding the shooting death of Miller.
The misidentification of the Kennedy brothers has been addressed by a judge and court records have been clarified.
Arthur Kennedy was denied bond by Columbus Municipal Court Judge Marc Amos in January and remains in custody at the Lowndes County Adult Detention Center.
Police continue to investigate Saturday’s incident.
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Arthur Kennedy, left, and Billy Lee Kennedy
