Philadelphia

Admitted Murderer Gets Up to 70 Years for Killing Woman, Burying Body in Philadelphia Yard

A 31-year-old man has admitted to stabbing a woman to death and burying her in a shallow grave behind his Philadelphia apartment building.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports Jeffrey Bowen pleaded guilty to third-degree murder Wednesday in the death of 39-year-old Kelly Hepfl. He was sentenced to 35 to 70 years behind bars.

Prosecutors say police found Hepfl's body in March after the manager of Bowen's apartment reported an area of disturbed dirt that appeared after Bowen asked him to borrow a shovel. Officers found Hepfl's body wrapped in plastic in a shallow grave in the city's Frankford section.

Bowen apologized but didn't say what led up to the slaying.

Defense attorney Geoffrey Kilroy says his client is remorseful. Bowen has a history of drug use and mental illness.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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