Authorities in Kentucky say a Florida man has confessed to killing a woman he met at the massive ‘Rainbow Family’ counterculture gathering in a Georgia forest.
Elizabethtown police spokesman Chris Denham said 20-year-old Joseph Bryan Capstraw was charged with murder Saturday morning after a woman was found dead in a local home.
According to the arrest citation, Capstraw said he blacked out after arguing with the woman, and woke up to find her badly beaten, and multiple injuries to his hands.
He found a neighbor and allegedly told that person ‘I killed her’.
Local police were called to the area around 2am.
Lumpkin County Sheriff Stacy M. Jarrard says the victim has been identified, thanks to a picture they disseminated on social media.
But her name can’t be released yet pending notification of her family.
The sheriff’s office says the pair hitchhiked together to Kentucky from the 47th annual Rainbow Family of Living Light gathering in the Chattahoochee National Forest.
According to the organization’s website, the group is ‘the largest non-organization of non-members in the world. We have no leaders, and no organization.
‘The Rainbow Family means different things to different people. We’re into intentional community building, non-violence, and alternative lifestyles. We also believe that peace and love are a great thing, and there isn’t enough of that in this world.
‘Many of our traditions are based on Native American traditions, and we have a strong orientation to take care of the the Earth. We gather in the National Forests yearly to pray for peace on this planet.’
The gathering started in mid-June and went to July 4, though some members plan to continue camping in the woods for the days and weeks to come.
It’s unclear whether Capstraw has a lawyer. He is being held at the Hardin County Detention Center.
Capstraw was previously charged with attempted murder for a May 2017 stabbing. But the charges were dropped later that month.
Anyone with further information on the murder is being asked to call Lumpkin County Sheriff Stacy Jarrard at 706-864-0414 or email her at stacy.jarrard@lumpkincounty.gov.