Man pleads guilty, sentenced for killing woman, burning her body in Huntington

CABELL COUNTY, WV (WOWK) — A man has pleaded guilty and was sentenced to killing a woman and setting her body on fire in 2022.

In Cabell County Circuit Court on Tuesday, Peter VanMaasdam III, 33, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and concealment of a deceased human body. Use or presentment of a firearm during the commission of a felony was dropped. He was sentenced to a maximum of 45 years in prison.

A criminal complaint states that on Sept. 7, 2022 , VanMaasdam shot Mary Jane Deel in the head with a shotgun inside a home on the 700 block of 4th Street in Huntington. It also said he attempted to clean up evidence of the crime.

He was also accused of later moving Deel’s body, placing it in a wooded area, and setting it on fire. Deel’s body was later found near railroad tracks on the 300 block of 7th Avenue.

In court on Tuesday, VanMaasdam said he blacked out when the incident took place.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOWK 13 News.