Two women plead not guilty in gruesome death of Ohio woman Celeste Fronsman

(AP) ZANESVILLE, Ohio- Two women have pleaded not guilty and a third suspect has been indicted in the gruesome killing of a woman found covered in burns and wailing by the side of a rural Ohio road.

A driver found 29-year-old Celeste Fronsman on a road near Zanesville on Aug. 26. She had been raped and burned and had a strap around her neck. She died two days later at a Columbus hospital.

Katrina Marie Culberson and Monica Jean Washington of Canton pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Muskingum County Common Pleas to one count each of aggravated murder, kidnapping and aggravated arson.

They would be eligible for the death penalty if convicted.

Also Wednesday, a grand jury indicted a third suspect arrested in the killing, LaFonse Darney Dixon. It was unclear whether he had an attorney.

Complete coverage of the Celeste Fronsman case on Crimesider