Tucson man accused in fatal shooting gets prison
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TUCSON, Ariz. -- A Tucson man accused of fatally shooting a friend and desecrated the body over a drug debt has been sentenced to 19 years in prison.
The Arizona Daily Star says 24-year-old Nicholas Phillip Rogers was sentenced Monday.
Rogers had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was facing between 14 and 22 years in prison.
Authorities say 27-year-old Todd Whitzel's burned and dismembered remains were found in Avra Valley in October 2011.
An informant told Pima County Sheriff's detectives he helped Rogers with the body after Rogers shot Whitzel to death in May 2011.
Whitzel's family reported him missing to Marana police on May 15, 2011.
Investigators learned Whitzel owed Rogers $3,000 for a drug debt and Rogers killed Whitzel, who was asleep at the time.
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Information from: Arizona Daily Star, http://www.azstarnet.com
