ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A man convicted of killing a St. Augustine woman and mutilating her body was sentenced Tuesday to 50 years in prison.
John Harry Branson III, 40, pleaded guilty last month to killing 46-year-old Jordie Hudson in April 2016.
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Circuit Judge Howard Maltz sentenced Branson to 40 years for second-degree murder and 10 years for mutilating a body.
Branson was seen on surveillance video from a Cedar Street bed-and-breakfast in an altercation with Hudson about 3:45 a.m. April 9. Police said Branson returned about 6:30 a.m. in his mother's blue car with a woman, later identified as Christeen Janelle Thomas. Branson was seen loading Hudson's body in the back seat while Thomas acted as a lookout, authorities said.
Hudson, an artist who had several exhibits throughout North Florida, was not reported missing until April 14. Police responded to a suspicious incident on Cedar Street the next day, which led investigators to believe that Hudson might have been the victim of foul play. Police found a steak knife, blood spatter and Hudson's sunglasses at the scene.
Thomas told police that Branson took Hudson's body back to his home on County Road 208 and removed it from the car. She said she saw Branson attempt to clean the car by spraying down the floor mats with a garden hose.
After an arrest warrant was issued for Branson and a search warrant was also served on Branson's home, Hudson's remains were found underground near the home.
The State Attorney's Office said the abuse of a dead body charge was added because Branson cut off two of Hudson’s fingers. Thomas is charged with fraud and larceny.
The St. Augustine police sent out this statement:
Chief Barry Fox and his staff are hopeful that Jordie Hudson’s family can now find peace and closure. This has been a long and drawn out case for a lot of people in St. Augustine."