JACKSON COUNTY, IL — A 54-year-old Southern Illinois man was sentenced Monday to 25-years in prison for the murder and dismemberment of a 76-year-old De Soto man.

James Deese will have to serve the entire 25-year sentence for the murder and dismemberment of Frank Stonemark in the fall of 2017.

Stonemark’s wife Carmen Stonemark pleaded guilty to solicitation to commit murder and concealment of a homicidal death. She was later sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Frank Stonemark’s dismembered body was found in rural Carbondale in fall 2017 after Deese of DeSoto admitted he killed him with Carmen Stonemark’s assistance.

Court records indicate Deese was Carmen Stonemark’s lover. He pleaded guilty in 2018 to first-degree murder and concealment.

Deese told authorities he strangled the victim and he and Carmen Stonemark hid the body. They later returned, dismembered the remains and burned them.