A 47-year-old man was sentenced to three years in prison for breaking into a mausoleum at Crown Hill Cemetery in Jefferson County and stealing a corpse, according to court records.
John Wayne Belknap was arrested after police discovered severe damage to a crypt and casket in a private mausoleum on Oct. 11, 2023.
Belknap pleaded guilty to abuse of a corpse, a felony, as well as criminal mischief and carrying a concealed weapon, both misdemeanors. He was sentenced to three years in prison with credit for time served on Dec. 10 and must pay $3,005 in restitution.
The First Judicial District Attorney’s Office dismissed a second criminal mischief charge, along with burglary, theft, desecration of a venerated object and a weapons charge, as part of a plea agreement.
The victim’s remains were later returned to the cemetery,
