DALE COUNTY, Ala (WDHN) — A Dale County man has pled guilty to the 2021 murder of a mother of six, according to court documents.

On Wednesday, John Sutton pled guilty to the Murder of Jenita Rose Maldonado, who was found dead on June 3, 2021, in the woods of South Dale County Road 20.

According to the Dale County Sheriff’s Office, officers ruled Maldonado’s death a suicide based on the information available, and a short time later, the investigation revealed some inconsistencies in the developing knowledge and continued to work it as a death investigation.

After the investigation, Sutton and 29-year-old Lara Lovequist were arrested and charged with one count of Murder.

Dale County judge Kimberly Crawford sentenced Sutton to 40 years in an Alabama state prison.