Hernando County Sheriff’s Office detectives found the body of a man buried on a property in Spring Hill after receiving a tipoff on Sept. 20, 2024.
The autopsy report concluded that the man, Kevin Walden, was killed as a result of homicidal violence. He was homeless and a witness says that he and the suspect, Jeffrey Behony, age 37, had been recently arguing. The argument had to do with Behony insisting that people were watching him.
Behony lived in a dilapidated structure on the Algood Road property in Spring Hill, where Walden’s body was found.
The Sheriff’s Office states that at some point, the two men got into a physical altercation and Walden was fatally wounded by Brehony.
Brehony claimed that Walden was suicidal and stabbed himself to death with a knife. He said that he did not report the incident to law enforcement because he was afraid nobody would believe his story as he has a criminal record. He tried to help Walden and his clothes got covered in blood, which he later placed in a duffel bag and burned.
He admitted to enlisting Duane Sander’s aka “Hillbilly” to dig the grave and bury the body. Sanders confirmed this with detectives. Brehony says he gave the knife to Sanders.
Using an aerial photo, Sanders showed detectives where he buried the body, the location of the partially burned duffel bag, and Walden’s vehicle. They were able to recover all three. They found the murder weapon in a nearby storm drain.
The individuals involved in the homicide of Kevin Allan Walden were charged as follows:
– Jeffrey Wayne Brehony, age 37
o Abuse of a Dead Human
o 2nd Degree Murder
o Bond – No Bond
– Duane Sanders, age 56
o Abuse of a Dead Human
o Accessory After the Fact to 2nd Degree Murder
o Bond – No Bond.
The investigation is ongoing.
