California man gets life in prison for dismembering elderly woman during burglary

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (TCN) — A man has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being convicted of murder in the death and dismemberment of a 77-year-old woman in 2022. 

On June 17, a jury found Darnell Erby guilty of first-degree murder committed during a burglary. He was sentenced Nov. 7, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office announced. Erby was also convicted of mutilation and five counts of burglary.

Erby, who was 44 at the time of the murder, had previous convictions for burglary, the District Attorney’s Office said.

On July 15, 2022, Erby crawled through a gap in the backyard fence of Pamela May’s home. May, 77, lived alone. Erby bound May’s hands and face with clothing before killing her.

Erby also stole property from May’s home and tried to transfer the home into his name, according to the District Attorney’s Office. He returned to the house a few days later, dismembered May’s body, and put the parts into garbage bags. Before Erby could dispose of the remains, police were tipped off and found the body.

Investigators said that the crime was so “brutal” that the remains were unrecognizable. The Sacramento County coroner had to identify the body, KRCA reported shortly after the crime.

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