By Associated Press - Tuesday, June 18, 2019

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) - A 24-year-old Springfield man who killed his friend and dumped the body on the side of a rural Greene County highway has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Adam Phillips was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the June 2018 death of 48-year-old Shone Swearingin.

The Springfield News-Leader reports Swearingin’s barefoot body was found near a road north of Springfield.



A probable cause statement says Phillips told investigators the men began to argue while on a drive.

Phillips told investigators he told Swearingin he loved him, pointed the gun at Swearingin’s head and pulled the trigger.

Phillips was originally charged with first-degree murder.

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Information from: Springfield News-Leader, http://www.news-leader.com

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