MILTON, Fla. (WKRG) — A Milton man is in prison for killing a woman and burying her body in his backyard.

62-year-old Johnny Malisham pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. A judge sentenced him to 25 years in a Florida state prison.

In 2021, Malisham killed Cynthia Hoover with a hatchet then he buried her body under a burn pit in his backyard on Simpson Street.

Hoover’s family reported her missing to law enforcement, they searched for her and held prayer vigils for two months before her body was found. Malisham said he killed Hoover because he thought she was trying to steal from him, according to court documents.