Co-defendant in Heisler’s murder sentenced to 46 years in Arizona prison

Co-defendant in Heisler’s murder sentenced to 46 years in Arizona prison

(5th District Court video pool, St. George News)


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ST. GEORGE — A man involved in the brutal kidnapping and murder of a Santa Clara father was sentenced Thursday in Arizona.

Francis Lee McCard, 57, of Washington City, was sentenced to 25 years in an Arizona prison for the murder of David Heisler in 2016. He was given a separate 21-year sentence for Heisler’s kidnapping. The sentences, which are both for second-degree felonies, will run consecutively, adding up to 46 years. McCard was sentenced in Kingman, Arizona, because Heisler died in the Arizona Strip.

McCard was previously indicted in federal court, after which he struck a plea deal in February to serve 29 years in prison. With all of the consecutive sentences, McCard will serve 75 years in prison.

McCard and co-defendants Kelley Marie Perry and Tammy Renee Freeman are accused of kidnapping 30-year-old Heisler from his Santa Clara home in 2016 and taking him to a remote area on the Arizona Strip where he was either killed or left to die in the desert heat after being assaulted.

During the police investigation, McCard allegedly admitted to going to David Heisler’s home with the two co-defendants the morning of June 27, 2016, with the intent to “scare” Heisler, who had been awarded sole custody of his daughter, Mariah, two weeks prior.

McCard and Perry both reportedly admitted to tying up Heisler, assaulting him in his home, placing a pillowcase over his head and forcing him into the backseat of his car before driving to the Utah-Arizona border, where his remains were found weeks later.

Read the full article at St. George News.

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