A 72-year-old man, Rodney O’Keith, pleaded no contest on Friday to voluntary manslaughter in connection with the killing of a woman in South Los Angeles whose body was later found in the Central Valley.
O’Keith admitted to personally using a firearm during the crime and was immediately sentenced to 15 years in state prison, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Tulare police reported that on February 15, 2024, officers responded to calls about a possible collision and found a vehicle on fire. After extinguishing the fire, they discovered the woman deceased in the trunk of the car.
Investigators learned that O’Keith and the 58-year-old victim had been in a romantic relationship. On February 21, 2024, Tulare police served a search warrant at the victim’s home, uncovering what appeared to be a crime scene. They later contacted the Los Angeles Police Department, confirming that the death had occurred within LAPD jurisdiction.
O’Keith was arrested in Visalia by Tulare police nearly two weeks after Armstrong’s body was discovered. He was then turned over to LAPD detectives and has remained in custody since, according to jail records.
Another man was arrested on suspicion of arson related to the vehicle fire in Tulare, though no updates on that case were immediately available.
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