TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — A Puyallup, Wash., man has been sentenced to more than 32 years in prison for fatally shooting his roommate before burying her in nearby woods.
Kelly Earnest Merz was found guilty in March of killing 33-year-old Cori Lewis and sexually violating her remains.
According to the News Tribune of Tacoma (http://is.gd/cF3Le3 ), evidence showed Merz had first tried to break his roommate’s neck before shooting her in the head after the two argued. Sheriff’s deputies arrested Merz after he told his ex-wife what he had done.
Pierce County deputy prosecutor Phil Sorensen on Friday argued for the high end of the sentencing range. Merz’s attorneys asked the judge for a lower-end sentence, noting the 51-year-old had led a peaceful life up until the senseless crime.
