W. Va. Man Pleads Guilty To Manslaughter In Wife's Disappearance
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia man has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in the death of his wife, who disappeared in 2016.
Arthur Owen Woods, 41, of Mount Nebo, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter Tuesday before a Kanawha County circuit judge, The Charleston Gazette-Mail reported. He originally was charged with first-degree murder.
Woods, who has been in jail since his May 2019 arrest, faces three to 15 years in prison when he is sentenced on Dec. 3.
Starina Woods disappeared in March 2016 shortly after the couple moved to Charleston. She was never found. Detectives said blood was discovered at the couple's home in Charleston and there were signs someone tried to clean it up.
According to court records, Woods told police he didn't know where his wife was and believed she fled to Ecuador with another man.
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