A Rome woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to voluntary manslaughter in the 2004 death of her husband. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison, according to the Rome News-Tribune.

Michelle Reynolds entered the guilty plea in Floyd County Superior Court two weeks before the scheduled beginning of her murder trial, the newspaper said.

She was charged with the  2004 murder of her husband, Thad John Glenn Reynolds, who was a deacon at a local Baptist Church. He was found stabbed to death outside of a Frito-Lay distribution center where he worked.

Police said Michelle Reynolds and Richard Scott Harper, who attended the same church, were having an affair and plotted to kill Thad Reynolds.

Police said it was Harper who actually killed Reynolds.

Harper pleaded guilty to murder charges in October 2008. He agreed to a sentence of life imprisonment without parole, the News-Tribune said.

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Instructor Daniel Jean-Baptiste reminds students to "measure twice, cut once" while using a hand saw at the Construction Ready accelerated summer program at Westside Works in Atlanta on Wednesday, June 18, 2025. The program provides training for careers in construction and the skilled trades. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com