Idaho man pleads guilty in beheading death of estranged wife

CALDWELL, Idaho — An Idaho man pleaded guilty Thursday to first-degree murder in the beheading death of his estranged wife in a deal that spares him the death penalty.

Prosecutors had originally sought a death sentence, accusing Alofa Time of first-degree murder with aggravating factors because they said they had evidence he tortured Theresa Time before he cut off her head last June 15.

Under the plea agreement, Time, 51, is to be sentenced to life in prison without parole. Formal sentencing was set for March 5 in 3rd District Court.

Prosecutors alleged Time killed his wife, then tossed her severed head into his Dodge Ram pickup and drove into Boise. There they allege he swerved into oncoming traffic and collided with a sedan, killing a woman and her young daughter. He faces second-degree murder charges in those deaths.

The impact caused Theresa Time's head to fly out of the truck onto a busy Boise street.

"This agreement will spare the family from a lengthy trial and being forced to relive this horrific crime," Canyon County Prosecutor Dave Young said in a statement.

Theresa Time's body was found in the garage of her home.

Time had been scheduled to appear in July in 3rd District Court on domestic abuse charges after his wife accused him of beating and choking her in a previous incident. Time had a criminal record stemming from spousal abuse incidents in California.

Second-degree murder charges were filed in the traffic deaths of Samantha Nina Murphy, 36, and her daughter, Jaelynne Grimes, 4. A second daughter, 8-year-old Syndee Murphy, was also in the car but survived.

Prosecutors said Time pleaded with arresting officers at the scene of the fatal collision to kill him.

Police found a suicide note and reported that he had set aside money for unspecified arrangements after his death.