PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (AP) — A southern Ohio man has been sentenced to life in prison for what prosecutors say was one of the most brutal murder cases they'd ever seen.
A jury in Scioto County found 35-year-old Raymond Linkous guilty Thursday of bludgeoning and stabbing his victim, then setting him the man on fire while he was still alive.
The Columbus Dispatch (http://bit.ly/RNxHCx ) reports that Linkous and two other men attacked 24-year-old Felipe Lopez over a shipment of cocaine in March. A prosecutor said they hit him five times with a hatchet and crushed his skull, then stabbed him before setting him on fire in the cab of a truck.
Linkous' alleged accomplices are scheduled for trial later this year.
Scioto County is about 85 miles south of Columbus, along the Ohio River.
___
Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, http://www.dispatch.com
