Mississippi woman sentenced to life for role in beating man to death, possibly over veteran benefits: report

A Mississippi girl who was discovered responsible of her half in beating a person to demise in 2017 was sentenced to life behind bars, based on studies.

An area CBS station in Jackson, Mississippi reported that 47-year-old Stephanie Ward was discovered responsible of the first-degree homicide of Roger Lee Scruggs, Jr. and hindering prosecution, by a Yazoo County Circuit Courtroom jury on Saturday.

On the evening of Nov. 22, 2017, Ward and John Henry Could took Scruggs to a rural space on Wildwood Highway, based on authorities.

Could offered testimony that he and Ward murdered Scruggs by beating him to demise, then loading his physique into Could’s truck.

Scruggs’ physique was saved within the truck for greater than every week, prosecutors mentioned, earlier than the duo transported him again to Wildwood Highway on Dec. 1, 2017, to make it seem like Scruggs died from an ATV accident.

The subsequent day, Ward reportedly referred to as the Yazoo County Coroner to say her “brother,” Scruggs, had been discovered by an unknown passerby.

An investigation led by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) discovered Scruggs’ homicide was probably motivated by cash,

Simply two days after reporting the invention of Scruggs’ physique, Ward reportedly reached out to Veterans Affairs, claiming to be his spouse, not sister, and asking for spousal advantages.

After receiving the preliminary advantages test, she put a down fee on a brand new Ford SUV in Could’s identify, who pleaded responsible to the homicide of Scruggs, the station reported.

On Saturday, Ward was sentenced to life with out the potential of parole for first-degree homicide, in addition to 5 years for hindering prosecution.

Each sentences will run consecutively.