Plea agreement reached in 29-year homicide cold case
A plea agreement has been reached in a 29-year-old homicide cold case.
Mary Ann Hughes, 72, of Pulaski, pleaded guilty to the charge of voluntary manslaughter of her husband, Larry Hughes, in the Circuit Court of Giles County.
“I would like to praise all Agencies, Staff, Officers and Investigators involved in the countless amount of hours, days and years spent investigating this incident," Sheriff Kyle Helton said. "It is not frequent that 29 year old cold cases, such as the tragic death of Mr. Larry Hughes, have positive results. However, I again, would like to commend all parties involved on their determined efforts to reach justice for Mr. Larry Hughes and family.”
Larry Hughes' body was discovered in a landfill with two gunshot wounds to the back of the head 16 days after Mary Ann Hughes reported her husband missing in March 1990.
Investigators believed Mary Ann had help moving the body.
Someone also said they saw Mary Ann burning a blood stained mattress days after Larry's disappearance and called police.
When the case re-opened in 2014, advancements in DNA testing pegged Mary Ann Hughes as the culprit.
