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A 53-year-old Cedar City man on Monday admitted to beating his girlfriend to death more than three years ago.
Kerry Lynn Richardson was charged in 5th District Court with first-degree felony, along with possession of a controlled substance, a third degree felony, and use or possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor, in connection with the September 2012, death of 47-year-old Tracy Ellen Little.
On Monday Richardson pleaded guilty to the murder charge and the other counts were dismissed.
He faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced Dec. 8 by Judge Keith Barnes.
On the morning of Sept. 9, 2012, Cedar City police officers went to a home at 1597 N. Cedar Blvd., and found Little lying amid a bloody scene in the bedroom.
Little had suffered multiple head and face fractures and was flown to Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, according to charging documents. She died 10 days later.
The walls, ceiling, floor, bedding and clothing in the bedroom, and the floors, walls and ceiling of the adjoining bathroom, were covered in blood, according to charges.
Police said they discovered Richardson, Little's boyfriend for 11 years, with blood on his hands, feet, face and back, but no visible injuries. They also found a methamphetamine pipe and several empty beer bottles inside the home.
Richardson told police that he had smoked methamphetamine with Little and drank the beer, according to charges. He told police he couldn't explain how Little was injured, but said the two of them had been the only people inside the home, charges state.
He told police that he believed that Little had been cheating on him and said they "talked about this" after she returned home about 2 a.m.
Richardson claimed he then fell asleep and woke up later when he heard Little having trouble breathing and called 911, charges state.
In a plea agreement document filed with the court, Richardson admitted he "intentionally caused serious bodily injury to another that was clearly dangerous to human life that caused the death of another."