Illinois woman gets prison for soliciting husband's murder

CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) - A southern Illinois woman has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for soliciting the murder of her 76-year-old husband and helping conceal his body.

The (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan reports Jackson County State's Attorney Michael Carr announced last week that 55-year-old Carmen Stonemark of DeSoto pleaded guilty to solicitation to commit murder and concealment of a homicidal death.

Frank Stonemark's dismembered body was found in rural Carbondale in fall 2017 after 52-year-old James Michael Deese of DeSoto admitted he killed Stonemark with Carmen Stonemark's assistance.

Court records indicate Deese was Carmen Stonemark's lover. He's awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty last year to first-degree murder and concealment.

Deese told authorities he strangled the victim and he and Carmen Stonemark hid his body. They later returned, dismembered the remains and burned them.

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Information from: Southern Illinoisan, http://www.southernillinoisan.com