DOTHAN, Ala. (AP) - A judge sentenced an Alabama man to life imprisonment even though authorities haven’t found the body of the woman he was convicted of killing.
Circuit Judge Jeff Kelly imposed the sentence on 30-year-old Coffee County resident Malcom Hunter during a hearing Wednesday.
Evidence showed 26-year-old Ayanna Smith was last seen on Jan. 21, 2017, when she was dating Hunter. Prosecutors say the man shot Smith to death and then disposed of her body, which investigators haven’t located.
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A jury convicted Smith of murder in May.
Defense attorney Josh Pipkin tells WTVY-TV that Hunter maintains his innocence even though witnesses testified that Hunter drove around with Smith’s body. They say he threatened to feed her remains to alligators.
Hunter plans to appeal his conviction.
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