PHOENIX, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- A suburban Phoenix woman pleaded guilty to helping her father kill and dismember her husband, court records indicate.
Sharon Denise Hale of Gilbert, Ariz., is to be sentenced Dec. 10 for second-degree murder and fraudulent schemes and practices. Her father, Clarence Morton, 59, of Avondale, Ariz., is to be sentenced Friday after pleading guilty Sept. 27 to fatally stabbing his son-in-law, Darrin Hale, during a fight inside the couple's home.
In exchange for his plea, prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty, court documents cited by The (Phoenix) Arizona Republic indicate.
Morton told police he killed Darrin Hale because his daughter wanted him to. Family members told investigators Darrin Hale had been upset when he found out his wife had refinanced their home without his consent and had hidden money from him, the newspaper said.
Morton first told police that after he killed Darrin Hale, he and his daughter drove to California, where he decapitated Darrin Hale, cut off his hands and scattered the body parts in an open desert, court documents and police reports state.
He later changed his story and said he burned the body and spread the ashes along a north-south Arizona highway.
He later recanted, stating "he was high" and wanted an attorney, court documents indicate.
