The man charged in a Bradley County, Tennessee, woman’s 2020 slaying has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and received a sentence of more than two decades in prison.
Guy William O’Connell, 46, was sentenced on a best-interest guilty plea to a charge of second-degree murder in the slaying of Amber Renee Monday, 34, according to Rhea County Criminal Circuit Court records. The hearing was held June 1 before Judge Justin C. Angel in Dayton, Tennessee.
According to court records, O’Connell was sentenced to 25 years in prison to be served at 100% of the sentence. He was given credit for 513 days served from the time he was in custody in Tennessee – Jan. 4, 2021 – to the date of his plea June 1, court records state. An accompanying original charge of abuse of a corpse was dismissed in the judgment.
O’Connell was represented in the plea by Assistant Public Defender Mechelle Story Barbato. Barbato was in court Monday and could not immediately be reached for comment.
Under state law, O’Connell’s sentence can be reduced by “good time,” for his behavior and other credits, according to 12th Judicial District Attorney Mike Taylor. Those credits can’t reduce the time more than 15%, he said.