According to the court documents, the 41-year-old man convicted of killing a woman, then dismembering and burning her body was sentenced to 90 years in prison on Thursday. Prosecutors say he will spend the rest of his life behind bars. Under Illinois’ “Truth in Sentencing” laws, people convicted of first-degree murder have no opportunity for early release and are required to serve 100-percent of their prison sentences.
He was sentenced to 70 years for first-degree murder using a firearm, plus an additional 20 years for dismemberment, with the charges running consecutively. Berchtold was also sentenced to five years for concealment, but that charge will run concurrently with the others.
The 41-year-old man, Gary Berchtold, in June was found guilty on all of the aforementioned counts following a three-day bench trial and faced a minimum of at least 51 years in prison. He was arrested a year later after investigators discovered Murphy’s remains, which had been left in a neighboring yard.
According to the court documents, he ‘tied the victim, Tiffini Murphy, to a chair and shot her at least six times. He then chopped up her body. and started a four-day bonfire. He was using the blaze to incinerate the victim’s body, collect the remains and dump them on the other property.’
