COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - A 30-year-old man charged with killing his ex-girlfriend and leaving her body to burn when he set her Fountain home on fire has pleaded guilty under an agreement with prosecutors.
The Colorado Springs Gazette reports that Thomas Lee Turley pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree murder and first-degree arson in El Paso County District Court. Turley initially faced a charge of first-degree murder and several other charges but they were amended or dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
Prosecutors say Turley killed 28-year-old Larissa Tiffany-Schiess in February. Authorities found her body in her burning home and say her throat had been slashed and her ankles tied to a bed.
Turley will be sentenced Dec. 11. He faces up to 70 years in prison.
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Information from: The Gazette, http://www.gazette.com
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