Man from West Plains Sentenced for Setup, Double Homicide

A man from West Plains who is convicted of killing too people will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Prosecutors say 36-year-old Joey Marcak pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder on Friday, June 21, in connection with the deaths of Frankie Ziegler and Richard Kuntz.

His case was granted a change of venue to Greene County prior to his guilty plea. He was sentenced to life in prison for the charges earlier this week.

According to investigators, Marcak contacted two associates and got them to contact the two victims in order to negotiate a drug deal.

One of the associates told police he had accused them of stealing a car and cash from him, and he was trying to lure them in to confront them.

When the associates met up with the victims, Marcak appeared and began to open fire on a vehicle, killing both Ziegler and Kuntz.

The two associates, Levi Gunter and Kyla Croney, were each charged in the case as well. Gunter died prior to his trial taking place, while Croney was sentenced to 12 years in prison on second-degree murder charges.