Man accused in slaying of Mercer law grad pleads guilty

MACON, Ga. (AP) A week before his trial was set to begin, the man accused of killing and dismembering a law school classmate in Macon has pleaded guilty to malice murder.

Local media report that 28-year-old Stephen McDaniel reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in the June 2011 slaying of 27-year-old Lauren Giddings of Laurel, Md. Giddings had just graduated from Mercer University Law School and lived next door to McDaniel.

McDaniel received a sentence of life in prison after entering a guilty plea Monday.

As part of the plea deal, prosecutors agreed to dismiss sexual exploitation of children and burglary charges against McDaniel.

Giddings' torso was found in a trash bin outside their apartment complex. Prosecutors say McDaniel said he threw the rest of her remains in another nearby trash bin

http://accesswdun.com/article/2014/4/274028