Man pleads not guilty to killing cousin, animals in Kanawha County

KANAWHA COUNTY, WV (WOWK) — A man accused of killing his cousin and four animals pleaded not guilty on Tuesday, according to court documents.

According to Kanawha County Circuit Court records, Billy Cadle III, 45, of Cross Lanes, was indicted on the charges of first-degree murder, malicious killing of an animal, burglary, destruction of property and battery.

The murder charge stems from the death of 53-year-old Michael Ols, who troopers found dead in his home on Saturday, March 9. Ols has been identified as a cousin of Cadle.

According to court statements from WVSP Trooper Fisher, the investigation started following a call regarding a burglary at a home in the Poca area, owned by another of Cadle’s relatives. Cadle is accused of killing two cats at that home. According to a criminal complaint, that relative and his family were not home at the time.

The trooper stated in court that the homeowner’s parents then received a call that Cadle was allegedly sitting on a porch on Big Tyler Mountain Road. According to court records, Cadle had then allegedly gone to his father’s home nearby, where his father flagged down a West Virginia Division of Natural Resources vehicle. The DNR officer picked up Cadle and turned him over to WVSP, Fisher said.

According to court records, Cadle’s father handed items Cadle had had over to WVSP, including a gun, knives and a suspected controlled substance. Trooper Fisher said in court they then went to the porch where Cadle had allegedly been seen and found two shotguns and a liquor bottle. The trooper said that he could not confirm if Cadle was under the influence at that time, but that allegedly “something was off about him.”

Trooper Fisher said that while he had Cadle in his cruiser, investigators said they received a call from Kanawha County Metro 911 that two dogs had been shot at the home of Michael Ols. In court Monday, Trooper Fisher said no one was able to contact Ols, and when he asked Cadle if he knew anything about Ols, and Cadle allegedly replied that he had “shot him in the [explicit] head.”

In court, the trooper said authorities went into Ols home where they found the dogs deceased. They say they then went into a bedroom where they found several firearms on the bed, and Ols body beneath a pile of blankets on the floor.

Ols vehicle was also located at Cadle’s father’s home when Cadle was picked up by authorities.

While interviewing Cadle, the WVSP said he claimed Ols had allegedly wanted Cadle to kill him and the dogs, according to statements in court.

Trooper Fisher said in court that following the interview, Cadle allegedly made a comment of “I wanna kill that [explicit.]” According to Fisher, they questioned Cadle, learned who he was speaking of, and then made contact with her to verify that she was safe.

The trooper was the only witness called for the court hearing.

Cadle has a pre-trial hearing scheduled for Dec. 16 at 9 a.m., according to court documents.

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