Boyfriend who covered dead girlfriend with 'leaves and sticks' in the woods, then claimed she was missing and possibly abducted learns fate

A Missouri antheral is headed to situation for slaughtering his girlfriend and dumping her body successful the woods, wherever she was recovered "covered with leaves and sticks" aft helium reported her missing and tried to assertion she was abducted.

Aaron Malone, 24, was sentenced to beingness successful situation without the anticipation of parole connected Tuesday, according to tribunal records. Malone was recovered blameworthy successful April by a Jasper County assemblage of first-degree murder, equipped transgression action, abandonment of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence successful transportation with the disappearance and decease of his 24-year-old woman Aspen Lewis successful November 2024.

Prosecutors and constabulary said Malone reported Lewis arsenic missing and told investigators helium believed she was abducted.

"Throughout our transgression investigation, inconsistencies were located successful Aaron's statement," constabulary wrote successful a probable origin affidavit for Malone's arrest.

While speaking to Malone astir Lewis' disappearance, authorities noticed a "large humor stain successful the roadway down Aaron's truck." Investigators besides discovered bloodstains connected Aaron's motortruck and the gravel driveway "appeared to beryllium disturbed," according to the affidavit.

"Jewelry pieces were located connected the ground," the papers stated. "Nearby video surveillance showed Aaron's motortruck arrived astatine the residence astatine astir 11:35 p.m. connected Nov. 24, 2024. Shortly afterward connected video surveillance screaming tin beryllium heard."

Malone's motortruck was caught connected video leaving the residence with him wrong astir 1:35 a.m. and past returning astatine 4:10 a.m., not agelong aft helium called constabulary to study Lewis arsenic missing.

Police interviewed Malone and asked him astir the humor and surveillance footage, to which helium responded that helium would instrumentality investigators to Lewis' body. As constabulary pulled up to a agrarian determination Malone directed them to, they observed "the remains of a burnt pink" garment successful the roadway. Lewis was recovered "off the roadway" moments later.

"The unfortunate had extended caput trauma," the affidavit said. "In a post-Miranda interrogation … Aaron Malone admitted to an altercation taking spot and disposing of the body."

During his trial, prosecutors presented grounds showing however Malone "repeatedly assaulted the unfortunate successful the face, strangled her, and changeable her earlier leaving her assemblage successful the woods successful Barry County," according to the Missouri Attorney General's Office. It took jurors astir an hr to convict Malone aft a three-day trial.