Preliminary hearing set for two extradited in killing and dumping of the body

Two suspects in the shooting death of a man whose body was dumped down an embankment in Chester County have been returned to the area and face a preliminary hearing Wednesday at District Court in Oxford.

Melanie Ann Ray, 25, and Chandler G. Clark, 20, both of Franklin, Pa., were extradited Wednesday from Indianapolis, where they were arrested, Chester County Assistant District Attorney Thomas Ost-Prisco said Friday.

They are accused of killing Andre J. Dupuis, 32, a landscape manager from Aston, late Aug. 6 in West Nottingham Township to steal his truck.

According to a Pennsylvania State Police affidavit of probable cause, Ray told police that she and Clark wanted to steal a vehicle to go to Arizona so they could evade arrest warrants in Western Pennsylvania.

According to the affidavit, Ray told police that she and Clark decided to kill Dupuis, whom they had met recently, because he was not from the area and did not have a wife or children, and thus would not be reported missing.

According to police, Ray said she and Clark called Dupuis to ask for a ride to a friend's house. When they were driving past a remote area along Lees Bridge Road, Ray pretended to be sick to trick Dupuis into stopping. After the truck stopped, Ray got out, and Clark asked Dupuis to check that Ray was all right. When he did so, Clark got out as well. Ray said Clark told Dupuis that this wasn't personal but that they needed his car, then shot Dupuis twice.

Dupuis' body was found Aug. 7 down an embankment, and his 2006 GMC Sierra truck was reported missing. The next morning, U.S. marshals found the truck at an apartment complex in Indianapolis. Ray and Clark were arrested there, and the suspected murder weapon, a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson semiautomatic pistol, was recovered. The pair waived an extradition hearing.

Both face multiple charges, including criminal homicide.

At their arraignment Thursday, both denied involvement in the killing, according to the West Chester Daily Local News.