Grand Prairie man sentenced to life in prison for murdering woman, burying her in shallow grave
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Kayla Kelley case: Man accused of kidnapping McKinney woman now charged with her murder
Investigators say he obtained a gas can and lighter the day before her disappearance. Cell phone records put Ferguson with Kelley shortly before her disappearance and with her car when it was burned.
COLLIN COUNTY, Texas - A Grand Prairie man received a life sentence in prison for murdering a woman and burying her in a shallow grave.
The jury convicted Ocastor Ferguson in just one hour on Thursday morning and came back with a life sentence in the afternoon.
The victim, Kayla Kelley, was found in the woods near Ferguson's home a week after she was reported missing.
Her burned out car was found in Frisco in January 2023.
Prosecutors say Kelley and Ferguson were in a relationship when she discovered the man she knew as "Kevin" was married and lied to her about his identity.
Kelley told friends she was going to "blackmail" him, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
An analysis of Ferguson's phone records showed him in the area of Frisco where investigators found Kelley's burned-out car on a dead-end, dirt county road.
Ferguson was arrested that day for kidnapping.
A deeper analysis of Ferguson's phone records showed him going to a wooded area near his home in Grand Prairie, according to the document.
Investigators then went to the area and found Kelley's body in the shallow grave.
Investigators say cellphone records also put Ferguson in the area of Kelley’s burned vehicle in Frisco and that surveillance footage shows smoke in the early morning hours.
Records then say "Ferguson got a ride from a ride share service" back to his home in Grand Prairie.