Southern Illinois woman gets 30 years for 2nd woman's murder

MURPHYSBORO, Ill. (AP) - A southern Illinois woman has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for killing another woman whose burned remains were found in a wooded area.

Lauren L. Stinde, 26, of Carbondale pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in November 2016, three months after the remains of Robin L. Stief, 39, of Salem were discovered in Carbondale, Jackson County State's Attorney Michael Carr announced Thursday.

Also arrested were Tiesha D. Anderson of Collinsville and Robert J. Dennis of Carbondale, the Southern Illinoisan reported. Dennis has pleaded not guilty. Anderson pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and concealment of a homicidal death in July and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

Evidence showed Stief was struck in the head with a hammer, strangled with a seat belt and suffocated with a pillowcase at an apartment in Carbondale before the three defendants placed her body in a trash can and wheeled it to the wooded area and burned it, Carr said.

Strinde will serve three years of mandatory supervised release after prison, Carr said.