Two homeless men, Hugh Smith, 54, and Richard "Shep" Sheppard, 53, have been arrested for the recent death a transient man in Pueblo whose body was found in Pueblo earlier this week. Smith and Sheppard are accused of second-degree murder for allegedly choking and beating the man with his own prosthetic leg, according to their arrest affidavit.
According to The Pueblo Chieftain, Michael "Peg Leg Mike" Richards, the 64-year-old victim, was found dead on June 29 -- Sheppard and Smith are accused of killing Richards and and then trying to conceal his body.
A witness told the police that he saw Richards' unconscious body on the ground and thought he was drunk when he saw Sheppard and Smith arguing. When the witness tried to revive Richards, Sheppard told him, "I choked that [expletive] out," according to The Pueblo Chieftain.
According to the affidavit, an unidentified man also told detectives involved in the investigation that, "Shep had to bury Peg Leg Mike because Hugh beat him to death with his prosthetic leg," 7News reports.
When police found Richard's body, it was covered by a by dirt and a tarp at a homeless camp site near Fountain Creek in Pueblo, KKTV reports. Pueblo Police told KRDO that the area where Richards body was found is commonly used by several area transients to camp or reside.
The coroner report said that Richards most likely died of strangulation, but that his body also had wounds on the head and face. Sheppard and Smith are currently held in Pueblo County Jail on a $500,000 bail.
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