HOT SPRINGS, Ark. (AP) — A Hot Springs man has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the death of the man who was found in the back of a pickup truck, brutally beaten and with his throat slashed.
Rocky Lee Noles entered the plea Wednesday in Garland County Circuit Court. The Sentinel-Record reports that Noles was sentenced to 23 years in prison for the death of 53-year-old Kenneth Berthia.
Prosecutors say they agreed to the plea deal after first consulting with Berthia's family. Noles' girlfriend, Sara Whitfield, is also charged with murder in Berthia's death. She's set to go to trial in May.
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