Mar 09, 2026

Man accused of murder in small rural, Kansas town

Posted Mar 09, 2026 9:30 PM
Wescott photo Wilson County Sheriff
Wescott photo Wilson County Sheriff

WILSON COUNTY – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office have arrested a man connected to a weekend homicide in Coyville, Kansas.

Just after 7p.m. on Sunday, deputies from the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to 2105 2nd Street in Coyville, after gunfire was reported.

Upon arrival deputies located Lucas R. Pickell, 37, of Fredonia, just outside a fifth-wheel RV on the property. Pickell had suffered a gunshot wound and died at the scene.

Witnesses were interviewed and evidence was examined and collected. Preliminary information indicates Pickell had been using drugs in the RV with a male subject and two female subjects. During the incident, 52-year-old William “Bud” Wescott, of Coyville, is suspected to have shot Pickell.

Wescott was arrested on requested of second-degree murder at the scene and booked into the Wilson County Jail.