Charlene Mess pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter after repeatedly hitting her late husband, Douglas W. Mess, with a pitchfork during an apparent argument, then shooting him in the head and hiding his body in a pile of manure. The argument took place at the couple’s dairy farm.

“The victim’s hands and feet were secured with bailing wire, which enabled Mess to drag him to the barn using an electric feed cart. From there, she used a skid steer, a small loader, to pick up the body and carry it to the manure pile, where she buried it under about 3 feet of manure in the hope it would decompose before being discovered,” the story reads.

Mess was originally charged with second degree murder and could have faced 25 years to life, had the case gone to trial. Read the full story from the Buffalo News.