WEST PLAINS, Mo. (AP) - A south-central Missouri man has admitted killing a neighbor and cutting up her body last year.
KOLR-TV reports (http://bit.ly/11vBCb6 ) 49-year-old Guy Varnell, of Alton, had been scheduled for a pretrial hearing Tuesday. Instead, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the February 2012 death of 51-year-old Narda Pranke, whom he referred to as "Cat Woman."
Varnell was sentenced to life in prison, plus seven years for stealing a gun.
Investigators said Varnell admitted hitting Pranke on the head several times with a rock, then leaving her body on the ground days before returning days later to dismember the remains.
Deputies found plastic bags containing body parts and clothing in Varnell's shed and beneath brush on his property.
The case was moved from Oregon County to Howell County on a change of venue.