Columbus, OH: Man pleads guilty in death of woman whose body parts were scattered at Ohio apartment complex

By Associated Press

10:40 AM PST, February 22, 2010


COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio man has admitted to a charge that he bludgeoned his girlfriend to death with a hammer before dismembering her and scattering her body parts around the apartment complex where they lived.

Fifty-one-year-old Robert Knight of Columbus pleaded guilty to murder Monday in Franklin County Common Pleas Court. It's the same day his trial was set to begin. He faces 15 years to life in prison when sentenced March 3.

Investigators say Knight killed 44-year-old Tracey Moore in June after an argument. Police found her head and arms in Knight's freezer, and maintenance workers found other remains in his backed-up toilet, throughout the apartment and in woods, a pond and a trash bin.

Defense attorney George Luther says Knight passed psychological testing and was competent for trial.