A Springfield woman who dismembered her husband and left his remains in rural Mechanicsburg has been sentenced to 78 years in prison.
A Sangamon County judge handed the sentence down Wednesday morning. Juatasha Denton-McCaster was found guilty of three counts: first degree murder, dismemberment and concealment of a homicide.
Judge Peter Cavanaugh noted when he announced the sentence that Denton-McCaster still had not acknowledged remorse or responsibility. Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser says the sentence was warranted.
“This was a planned execution of her husband. She planned it for months and months. She was convicted and sentenced; it was just a brutal crime,” said Milhiser.
Authorities found her husband, Norman McCaster, in a field outside Mechanicsburg in late 2012. He was missing his head and several limbs. Police arrested Denton-McCaster after a receipt for the reciprocal saw used in the murder was found near the scene. Store surveillance video later showed Denton-McCaster buying the murder weapon.
She is required to spend at least the next 55 years in prison.