Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced on Nov. 4 that John Anthony Cole will serve 31 years in prison for the murder of Antoine Smith.
Cole, 48, was arrested in 2022 near the Arizona and California border when police found dismembered human remains in his car.
Phoenix police had been tracking Smith’s phone from Phoenix to Tucson after his friends alerted police he had sent them a barrage of alarming texts.
Smith had texted that he had been kidnapped by Cole in an attempt to collect a debt.
A welfare check at Cole’s residence led Tucson police to discover suspicious items including cleaning supplies and a blood-stained shovel.
Cole’s phone was also tracked to the same area near the Arizona and California border.
The remains of Smith’s body were found in the trunk of Cole’s vehicle, and he was arrested.
Cole later pled guilty to three charges, including second-degree murder, aggravated assault and abandonment or concealment of a dead body.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Man sentenced to 31 years in prison after dismembered human remains were found in his car