GULFPORT — A man set to stand trial Monday for the 2009 murder of Terry William Self pleaded guilty to the charge today in Harrison County Circuit Court.

Judge Lisa Dodson sentenced Christopher Joseph Smith, 31, to life in prison. He won't be eligible for parole until he's 65.

Self's body had been set on fire, dismembered by a machete and dumped into Bayou LaCroix in Hancock County.

Read more about this story in Saturday's Sun Herald.