LEXINGTON, S.C. — A man will spend life in prison for killing a Lexington woman nearly three years ago.
Lee Anthony Corley was convicted of murder in a Lexington County courtroom for killing 36-year-old Alena Marie Kennedy. Judge Steven John then handed down the punishment Monday, which does not include the possibility of parole.
Jurors needed just one hour to return a guilty verdict.
Kennedy went missing in the spring of 2017, and her remains were found on June 16 of that year. Prosecutors said her remains had been burned and put in the woods.
Corley was charged with murder a month after Kennedy's disappearance. Prosecutors say when he was questioned about the death, he said that Kennedy was still alive and had moved to Florida.
After killing Kennedy, prosecutors said he moved her body from one home to another, then damaged her remains.
Another person was also charged in Kennedy's death. Harriet Leigh Coleman, who prosecutors say was once a girlfriend of Corely, is charged with accessory to murder and desecrating human remains. She has not yet been convicted or acquitted.