The woman accused of strangling a college student from Cobb County admitted guilt in court Thursday and will spend at least 30 years in prison.
Farrah Lynn Strength, 30, pleaded guilty in Carroll County Superior Court in the murder last year of Marcelle “Marcy” Elliott, 21, of Kennesaw, said Peter Skandalakis, the district attorney in Carroll County.
Police in Carroll said last year that Strength confessed to the murder of Elliott, a University of West Georgia student, and led them to her body in a swamp. Joshua Clay, 32, also has been charged with the murder and is scheduled for trial Aug. 8.
The plea was expected after Strength's attorney, Jason Swindle, said Wednesday that his client would be accepting a deal reached with prosecutors Friday after months of negotiation. The deal involves her cooperation in the prosecution of her co-defendant.
There is a "high likelihood" that Strength will testify against Clay, Swindle said. He said his client had been "extremely cooperative" with investigators and that prosecutors gradually relaxed their stand against her. They have not filed a notice of plans to pursue the death penalty against Clay though they talked about using it against the defendants early on, Swindle said. Later, they insisted on life without the possibility of parole for Strength.
"It kind of stood at life without parole for a long time, and then we worked out a deal so that she has a chance for parole," Swindle said.
After Strength's plea, Superior Court Judge John Simpson sentenced her to life in prison with the possibility of parole on a malice murder charge, plus 10 years for false imprisonment. Skandalakis said Strength will be eligible for parole in 30 years. He said Elliott's family favored the plea agreement and that his office would have no further comment because of the trial pending against Clay.
Elliott was living with her parents in Kennesaw in July when she drove 50 miles to Strength’s home near the University of West Georgia. She was strangled there, according to police, and her body was dumped at a swamp eight miles away.
Police have said the two women were friends who hadn’t talked for over a year after a disagreement. They had studied together though Strength wasn’t in college, police said, adding that the women had a mutual interest in psychology and forensics. Police have not elaborated on Clay’s relationship to the women.
Swindle described the two women as "acquaintances" but said Clay and Strength were closer. He described them as "friends" and said he suspects that prosecutors might try to prove they had an intimate relationship. He said he didn't think Clay knew Elliott. When asked who actually strangled her, Swindle would only say that his client was "involved" in the murder.
Clay faces the same charges brought against Strength: malice murder, felony murder, false imprisonment, aggravated assault, concealing the death of another and tampering with evidence.
Authorities have not revealed a motive for the killing, and Swindle said that even after his months of research in the case he didn't see a clear motive.
"I'm sure that's going to come out if there's a trial" against Clay, he said.
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