California Troopers Face Charges in Connection with Murder

Three current and former California Highway Patrol officers, a prominent criminal defense lawyer and five other people were arrested Friday in connection with the disappearance and killing of a Central Valley man.

The nine people played a part in the killing of Korey Kauffman, 26, or helped cover it up and mislead investigators, the officials said.

Kauffman was reported missing in April 2012. His body was found by hunters in August 2013 in rural Mariposa County near Yosemite National Park, the Associated Press reports.

Investigators with the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department said Modesto attorney Frank Carson orchestrated the killing and enlisted the help of two brothers who own a liquor store in Turlock.

The CHP officers are suspected of obstructing the investigation. They are accused of lying about their involvement with the liquor store and the two brothers who own it.