Nephew gets 103-year sentence in killing of Indiana woman

MARION, Ind. (AP) - A judge has sentenced a 51-year-old Elwood man to 103 years in prison in the death of his aunt, who disappeared months before her remains were found.

The Indianapolis Star reported (http://indy.st/1JZPBaS ) Friday that Grant County Circuit Judge Mark Spitzer gave the sentence to Donald Burns. A jury had convicted Burns of murder and other felonies related to the death of 74-year-old Dorothy Heard of Noblesville.

The woman's remains were found in February 2012 near Marion. Her daughter had reported her missing in June 2011, telling police her mother left a note saying she was visiting a gravesite with Burns.

Prosecutors say Burns pawned Heard's wedding ring and used her credit card to buy nearly $400 in merchandise.

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Information from: The Indianapolis Star, http://www.indystar.com