Man Pleads Guilty to Murder, Mutilation of Victim's Body

(source: Shiawassee County Sheriff’s Department)

CORUNNA, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan man accused of killing another man and hanging the victim’s mutilated body from a ceiling has pleaded guilty to murder.

Mark Latunski appeared in Shiawassee County court Thursday, nearly three years after 25-year-old Kevin Bacon was killed. A judge will hold a hearing on Oct. 18 to determine if the case will be classified as first-degree or second-degree murder. First-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

Defense attorney Mary Chartier was interested in pursuing an insanity defense at trial. She says she doesn’t believe a guilty plea was in Latunski’s best interest. Latunski initially was found mentally incompetent to stand trial but that status changed after treatment.