The man accused of raping and murdering Tullahoma, Tenn., nursing student Megan Sharpton last summer pleaded guilty today in Franklin County Circuit Court.
Donnie Jones Jr. pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and agreed to accept a sentence of life in prison without parole, Franklin County Sheriff's Department spokesman Chris Guess said.
The 24-year-old Sharpton's body was still burning when a passing motorist spotted what was first thought to be a grass fire on Awalt Road near the bridge over Tims Ford Lake on July 2, 2012.
Jones' plea ends a seven-month investigation by the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Bedford County Sheriff's Office, Coffee County Sheriff's Office and the Tullahoma Police Department.