A Franklin County man charged with the murder of his live-in girlfriend in 2013 will spend life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The Athens Banner Herald reported Brent Shubert, 45, of Canon was declared guilty in the murder of Bonny Anne Cooner in a bench trial. Shubert avoided a jury trial following an agreement with the district attorney to withdraw a plan to seek the death penalty in the case. The sentencing was handed down Monday.
Shubert and Cooner had been in a relationship for three years, according to the newspaper report. Cooner had wanted to get married, but Shubert was trying to end the relationship.
Shubert strangled Cooner and then dumped her body in an abandoned well, about three miles from her home in Canon. The murder apparently took place on January 28, 2013; Cooner's body was found almost two weeks later.
