TUSCUMBIA, Ala. (AP) — A Colbert County judge has sentenced a man to life in prison in a woman’s strangulation death.

Judge Jackie Hatcher sentenced Ronald Weems Thursday in the death of Amanda Taylor and added 10 years to his sentence for abuse of a corpse.

WAAY reported (http://bit.ly/13zIepl ) prosecutors said Weems strangled Taylor to cover up the theft of a child support check. Authorities say Weems then cut off Taylor’s fingers and toes and bashed her teeth out with a hammer before dumping her body in a Muscle Shoals field in October 2011.

Three others who pleaded guilty to helping cover up the crime — Ashley Greenhill, Matthew Fox and Laurel Pruett — testified against Weems. Each was sentenced to 10 years in prison.