BENTON, Ark. (KTHV) - A Benton man has plead guilty to several counts including murder in the case of a man found buried in the yard of a Traskwood home.
Prosecuting attorney Ken Casady says Jay Beeson Jr., 54, pled guilty to kidnapping, abuse of a corpse, and hindering apprehension for his role in the abduction and burial of Randall Anderson.
Beeson had been charged along with Marissa Wright in the kidnapping and murder of Anderson. Anderson's body was found buried under a koi pond in Wright's back yard in Traskwood.
Wright pled guilty earlier this month to two counts of murder, one for Anderson and another for Joe Lee Richards Jr. who was also found buried in Wright's yard. She was sentenced to two life sentences.
According to investigators, Beeson admitted that he brought Anderson from the woods behind Wright's house back to the home. When he left the house he was arrested for an unrelated crime.
Beeson told police that when Wright bonded Beeson out of jail and brought him back to the house, Anderson was dead. Beeson says he helped bury Anderson with Wright.
Beeson was sentenced to 385 days in county jail, followed by 120 months of suspended imposition of sentence.
Casady says Beeson agreed to testify against Wright and that his testimony was crucial in convicting Wright. Evidence developed following his charges showed that Beeson was not present at the time of the homicide, and did not cause Anderson's death. Casady says, "This sentence accurately reflects Beeson's role in the disposal of the body and his failure to inform authorities about the homicide and burial of Anderson."