A California man has been sentenced to life in prison without parole after being found guilty of murdering and dismembering a woman in her own home.

Darnell Erby, aged 47, received his sentence for first-degree murder, mutilation, and five counts of burglary, as announced by the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office on Monday. This followed his conviction by a jury in June for these heinous acts.

According to authorities, Erby had become acquainted with his victim, 77-year-old Pamela May, who lived alone in North Highlands, a suburb in northeast Sacramento. On July 15, 2022, he gained entry to her home by crawling through a gap in her backyard fence.

The victim was inside, and Erby “used her clothing to bind her face and hands,” the district attorney’s office said. According to Sacramento-based NBC affiliate KCRA, Erby burglarized May’s home on July 18 before killing her on July 19, suggesting he kept her alive for days as he attempted to steal from her.

Erby not only stole belongings from May but also attempted to illegally transfer ownership of her home to himself, officials revealed. In the aftermath of the murder, Erby returned to the scene, dismembering May’s body and placing the remains into garbage bags. The victim was mutilated beyond recognition.

However, Erby’s plans were thwarted before he could completely dispose of the body. Law enforcement was alerted to the scene and discovered the remains in the garbage bags.

Erby was subsequently arrested and charged, with the case carrying special circumstances due to the murder occurring during a robbery and the commission of burglary while armed with a deadly weapon. Adding to the gravity of the situation, Erby was on early release from prison at the time of the crime, a detail that further frustrated authorities.

According to the district attorney’s office in Placer County, which lies just north of Sacramento County, Erby was convicted for burglary and sentenced in August 2017 to serve over 12 years in prison. However, due to the state’s nonviolent offender early parole program, he was released from prison in 202

“Our community wants to know why this man was released after serving less than half of his prison sentence,” Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire said following May’s murder. “Our office, along with the Amador County District Attorney’s Office, twice opposed the release of this dangerous inmate.”