Man admits killing girl while he was high on meth

Associated Press

ASHTABULA

Prosecutors say a convicted sex offender who admitted killing a 13-year-old Ohio girl in 2017 while high on methamphetamine has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Ashtabula County Prosecutor Nick Iarocci says the plea spares 48-year-old John Richard Bove from a potential death penalty.

Bove pleaded guilty Friday to charges including aggravated murder and rape.

WEWS-TV reports a police affidavit indicates Bove told investigators he took the girl intending to trade her back to her family in exchange for a drug debt her father owed.

Her body was later found in a field roughly 50 miles northeast of Cleveland.