CONCORD, N.C. — A Cabarrus County man pleaded guilty on Thursday to killing his former girlfriend, receiving a minimum sentence of 25 years after prosecutors provided some of the heinous details of the killing.
Our news partners at the Independent Tribune report Randy "Bubba" Lee Edwards accepted the plea deal on a charge of 2nd degree murder and was sentenced on Thursday, barely two weeks before his trial was set to begin.
Cabarrus County District Attorney Roxann Vaneekhoven detailed just some of the specifics of the crime, saying Edwards killed Donna Marie Perez-Helms on July 24, 2015 by stabbing her multiple times and bludgeoning her before setting her on fire.
Vaneekhoven cited the medical examiner's report, that the fire burned for several hours and accelerant was used to keep it burning in what appeared to be an effort to destroy the body. The DA also told the court the autopsy showed Perez-Helms was dead by the time Edwards set her on fire -- a small comfort to her family members.
Edwards shot himself in the mouth days after he killed Perez-Helms, and shortly before authorities arrested him for the murder.
Edwards, 64, will be 88 years old before he will become eligible for parole.
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