Missouri man sentenced in death of caged, dismembered woman

BUFFALO, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri man was sentenced to life in prison without parole after entering an Alford plea in the death of a woman who was caged and dismembered. Sixty-year-old James Phelps is one of two men charged in the grisly death of 33-year-old Cassidy Rainwater, whose remains were found in southern Missouri in 2021. Under the Alford plea, Phelps did not admit guilt but acknowledged prosecutors have enough evidence to convict him. Investigators say Phelps and Timothy Norton were arrested after pictures of Rainwater in a cage and her dismembered body were found on Phelps’ phone. Norton is scheduled for a court hearing on Tuesday.