Long Beach woman sentenced for failing to report boyfriend's death, still faces 2 felony charges

GULFPORT -- A Long Beach woman facing felony charges in her boyfriend's death has pleaded guilty to a related charge of failing to report his demise.

Christy Lee Zarrella, 63, had asked for a trial on the misdemeanor charge.

She pleaded guilty Thursday before Harrison County Justice Court Judge Melvin Ray, prosecuting attorney Herman Cox said.

Ray sentenced her to 90 days in the county jail.

Zarrella is held on bonds of $500,000 on two felonies. She is accused of desecrating the corpse of 87-year-old Edward A. Miller and tampering with evidence.

Miller's decomposing remains were found in a trash can, along with empty bottles of bleach, Oct. 22 behind his home on South Seal Avenue. Long Beach police have said Zarrella had recently moved in with Miller.

He had been missing at least two weeks.

How Miller died has not been disclosed.

Zarrella is accused of cutting a pacemaker out of his chest, putting his body in a trash can and trying to set it on fire.

Zarrella told police he had died Oct. 5 of natural causes, but said she panicked, a police affidavit said. Neighbors told police she had recently sold his belongings at an estate sale. Police said they found an estate sale sing next to the house.

Her felony charges have been bound over to a grand jury.

This story was originally published November 5, 2015 at 5:37 PM with the headline "Long Beach woman sentenced for failing to report boyfriend's death, still faces 2 felony charges ."