LYNDON, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man has been sentenced to four years and two months in prison for beheading another man with a guitar string after a plea deal that prosecutors said they accepted because of problems with the case.
James Paul Harris originally was charged with first-degree murder in the 2011 death of James Gerety, but pleaded no contest in December to involuntary manslaughter.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports he was sentenced Monday.
A former girlfriend testified last year that Harris told her he shot Gerety in the stomach, tortured him for two days, then cut off his head. Prosecutors allege Harris kept Gerety’s head for months for some type of religious practice.
Osage County Attorney Brandon Jones said problems with the case included “credibility issues” with a major witness.