Men indicted for murder in alleged burglary that turned fatal in Middletown

A Butler County grand jury has indicted two men for murder and other felonies after an alleged attempted burglary last month at a Middletown residence.

Jonathan Oatneal, 23, and Andrew Roberts, 22, were each indicted Wednesday for murder, aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary. They both remain housed in the Butler County Jail in lieu of $750 bond each.

The indictments stem from an August incident during which the two and Oatneal’s brother, Joshua Oatneal, allegedly attempted to rob a man in the 2600 block of Aspen Drive. The resident shot and killed Joshua Oatneal in the incident.

Middletown police were called at 12:02 a.m. to Atrium Medical Center on a report of a man suffering from a gunshot wound. The other two men took him to the hospital and left. They were spotted a short time later in the city, and both are charged with two counts of murder and two counts of aggravated burglary.

The case has been assigned to Common Pleas Court Judge Greg Stephens, but an arraignment date on the indicted charges had not been set as of Wednesday afternoon.

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