22-year sentence for Bellingham homeless killing

BELLINGHAM — A 46-year-old man who pleaded guilty to murdering a woman at a Bellingham homeless camp was sentenced Thursday to 22 years in prison.

The Bellingham Herald reports James K. Schultea strangled 41-year-old Rubey A. Erickson with a belt last November after they had been drinking in a tent.

He put her body in a pond in an attempt to throw off police but confessed under questioning.

Information from: The Bellingham Herald, www.bellinghamherald.com

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