LANSING — A Sturgis man is set to be convicted after he pleaded "no contest" to charges for the murder and mutilation of his girlfriend back in 2019.
On Monday, Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that Wade Allen, 39, will be sentenced in March.
He's facing charges for two incidents, the first of which landed him with charges of murder for the death of his girlfriend.
FOX17 reported previously that Allen was arrested in May, 2019, after an anonymous tip led police to search his home in Sturgis.
The tipster alleged Allen was storing a woman's body in his apartment on N. Maple Street. While investigators declined to specify what was unearth during the search, Allen was charged for open murder, dismemberment of a corpse, and failure to report a death.
ORIGINAL STORY: Neighbors react after Sturgis man arrested for murder, dismemberment of a corpse
An incident in jail, however, landed Allen with more charges.
The Attorney General said Allen is also charged with criminal sexual conduct after he assaulted a fellow inmate.
Reportedly, Allen told his cellmates about strangling his girlfriend to death. The cellmates then passed the information to authorities, and when Allen learned this, he sexually assaulted one.
The St. Joseph County prosecutor referred the case to the Department of Attorney General through a request for a special prosecutor.
Allen pleaded today to the following charges:
- One Count of Second-Degree Homicide, a felony, punishable by up to life;
- One Count of Attempted Dismemberment and Mutilation, a felony, punishable by up to 5 years; and,
- One Count of Attempted Criminal Sexual Conduct Third Degree by Force/Coercion, a felony, punishable by up to 5 years.
“I am grateful to the Sturgis Department of Public Safety, St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department, and the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office who spent countless hours on this case,” said Nessel. “No sentence will be enough to overcome the grief of the victim’s family, or the anguish suffered by the victims, but hopefully today’s plea will allow the healing process to begin.”
