Man gets life for brutal southern Ohio slaying

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (AP) — A southern Ohio man has been sentenced to life in prison for what prosecutors say was one of the most brutal murder cases they’d ever seen.

A jury in Scioto County found 35-year-old Raymond Linkous guilty Thursday of bludgeoning and stabbing his victim, then setting him the man on fire while he was still alive.

The Columbus Dispatch reports that Linkous and two other men attacked 24-year-old Felipe Lopez over a shipment of cocaine in March. A prosecutor said they hit him five times with a hatchet and crushed his skull, then stabbed him before setting him on fire in the cab of a truck.

Linkous’ alleged accomplices are scheduled for trial later this year.

Scioto County is about 85 miles south of Columbus, along the Ohio River.