FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) – The Fort Wayne man who murdered his girlfriend was sentenced to 87.5 years on Thursday.
40-year-old Franklin Dent was sentenced to 65 years for murder, 20 years for being a habitual offender, and two and a half for altering the scene of a crime.
Dent was arrested in late 2015 for the murder of 34-year-old Jessica Fecht. Police say he strangled her, then buried her body in the basement of a home on Sherman Boulevard. This happened sometime between January 13 and February of 2015.
RELATED: Fort Wayne man to stand trial for 2015 murder next month
Fecht came to Fort Wayne from Wisconsin after allegedly meeting Dent online, according to our partners in news at ABC 21.
When Dent’s landlord cleaned out the home for new renters, contractors found a hole in the basement floor with Fecht’s body and cigarette butts inside.
A gray scarf was around Fecht’s neck.
Dent’s DNA was found both inside Fecht and on the cigarette butts on her body.
