CADIZ — Samuel Farnsworth likely will spend the next 13 years behind bars after he pleaded guilty Tuesday to voluntary manslaughter in the death of 40-year-old Sherry Lynn Shrieve of Bellaire.

Farnsworth is set to be sentenced March 16.

According to officials, Shrieve had been shot to death and her body was discovered in March 2020 along a road outside New Athens, about 1 mile from the Belmont/Harrison county line.

Farnsworth, 48, of 451 N. Main St., Cadiz, originally was charged with murder and abuse of a corpse.

He pleaded guilty to first-degree felony voluntary manslaughter with a gun specification before Harrison County Common Pleas Judge T. Shawn Hervey. The gun specification carries a three-year penalty to be added the 10-year manslaughter sentence.

Harrison County Prosecutor Lauren Knight commented on the outcome.

“We did amend to voluntary manslaughter, which is a felony of the first degree,” Knight said. “We did this after speaking with the victim’s family, discussing with them some weaknesses in our case, some issues we would face if we went to trial. The victim’s family was receptive and understood those complications. … From the conversation, it felt like it didn’t demean the seriousness of what had happened.

“Some of it was lack of evidence that we had. We could prove some things, but some things we were kind of lacking on. We were obviously able to offer a plea that was appropriate, but we also had some additional complications, just as an investigation as a whole,” she said.

Knight declined to speculate on the background of the case or potential motive that led to Shrieve’s death.

“I don’t think we have anything concrete,” she said.

Knight added that the COVID-19 pandemic has complicated the legal process, but her office continues to pursue cases.

“COVID has definitely made it more difficult to have trials. The court had stayed all trials up until fairly recently, so a lot of these cases that we’re dealing with now have some age to them. Plea deals are a natural part of any prosecution style, and I don’t know that we’re doing exceptionally more than we would have previously,” she said. “With this one, the case had been indicted, I believe, about a year ago.

“We hope that the victim’s family feels that justice was done. Obviously, she’s the most important part of the entire case, making sure what happened to her was not dismissed in any way. And that was respected and shown through our actions,” Knight said.