Dallas Man Pleads Guilty To Strangling Landlord, Burying In Yard
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — A Dallas man accused of killing his landlord, entombing him in a concrete slab in the backyard and then posing as the victim to sell the house has pleaded guilty and been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Court records show Christopher Colbert, 46, pleaded guilty Tuesday to murder in the death of Ronald Shumway, 57. He also pleaded guilty to theft, tampering with a government record, securing execution of a document by deception and money laundering.
Theft and murder carried sentences of 25 years in prison, while the others carried 20-year sentences. A Dallas County district attorney's office spokeswoman says the sentences will run concurrently.
Officials said Colbert strangled Shumway in April 2015. A new homeowner found the body in September 2015.
"We miss him. He was always here," said neighbor Rudy Cortez.
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