A 50-year-old man has been sentenced to 35 years in prison after pleading guilty to the murder of his girlfriend, 49-year-old Terry Chermak, and leaving her body in a shallow grave. The sentencing comes after William Cagle was convicted for fatally shooting Chermak and attempting to cover up the crime.
In a statement released on December 17, Eighth Circuit Solicitor David Stumbo announced that Cagle had pleaded guilty to one charge of murder. A judge sentenced him to 35 years behind bars without the possibility of parole.
Chermak was reported missing in September 2022 by her friends and family after she failed to return home from work on September 9. Prior to her disappearance, Chermak had been texting her sister, revealing that she “no longer wished to marry Cagle.” However, those messages suddenly stopped, with the content of her texts changing, suggesting someone else may have been using her phone.
An investigation by the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office uncovered troubling evidence. Authorities found that Cagle had purchased a blue tarp, zip ties, and a shovel from a local hardware store shortly before Chermak went missing. Following a search of Chermak’s property, authorities discovered her body in a shallow grave, wrapped in the blue tarp and secured with zip ties.
Prosecutors revealed that Cagle had placed a bag over Chermak’s head and shot her once in the back of the head. He then stole her car, cellphone, and debit cards. Authorities later found Chermak’s abandoned car at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Cagle was apprehended by U.S. Marshals in Denver, Colorado, after he fled the scene.
Stumbo commented on the case, saying, “Murders as a result of domestic violence unfortunately continue to plague our state, but as long as that is the case, we will continue to seek justice for these victims and their surviving families.”
Cagle’s conviction serves as another tragic reminder of the dangers of domestic violence, and he will spend the next 35 years in prison for his brutal crime.