A US airline pilot has been charged over the murders of three people in Kentucky in 2015.

Christian Richard Martin was arrested at Louisville airport on Saturday as he was preparing to fly a plane to North Carolina.

He has been charged with three counts of murder, one count of arson, one of attempted arson, burglary and three counts of tampering with physical evidence.

Kentucky attorney general Andy Beshear alleged Martin was responsible for the murders of Calvin and Pamela Phillips and their neighbour Edward Dansereau.

Mr Phillips was found shot dead at home in Pembroke, Kentucky, while the bodies of Mrs Phillips and Mr Dansereau were discovered in his vehicle which had been set on fire in a cornfield a few miles from the couple’s home.

The Kentucky attorney general’s office took over the case in 2017 after the Phillips’ son contacted Mr Beshear saying he feared the investigation had gone cold.

In a statement, relatives said they had been “haunted by what was done to them and haunted further that someone was still free to do as they wish, beyond the civility of mankind or laws of our nation”.

They added: “We look forward to a verdict to bring an end to this terror, and a fresh start at healing.”

Martin was a pilot at PSA Airlines – a subsidiary of American Airlines – for just over a year and was arrested as he prepared to fly as first officer on a flight from Louisville to Charlotte, North Carolina.

The airline said it would provide assistance to the investigation if required.

Since the alleged murders, Martin moved from Christian County, Kentucky, and was living in North Carolina at the time of the indictment.

Martin, whose police mugshot shows him wearing his pilot’s uniform, will be held at the Christian County detention centre as he waits to go on trial.

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