ARKADELPHIA, Ark. (AP) — A Clark County Circuit Court judge has sentenced a woman to 31 years in prison for the death of her boyfriend.
Kayla Nelson was convicted of first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse for the July 2010 killing of Dominic Whitaker.
The Arkadelphia Daily Siftings Herald reports that Judge Robert McCallum cited his belief Friday that Nelson was in an abusive relationship when he sentenced her to 25 years for the murder charge and six years on the other count.
Authorities say Nelson shot Whitaker, burned his body and dumped it near her home.
Her attorney, Dana Reece, had requested the minimum 10-year sentence, but said the judge made a decision he thought was fair.
When asked if justice had been served, Whitaker's mother, Mary, said she believed so.
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