St. Landry Kidnapping, Murder Suspect Pleads Guilty
The man who kidnapped and murdered a Ville Platte woman last year will spend the rest of his life in prison.
Philip Dewoody received three consecutive life sentences after pleading guilty this morning to first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, and aggravated rape.
The first-degree murder charge stemmed from the death of Joyce Thomas. Thomas disappeared from Ville Platte last March. State troopers found her body was found days later off I-49 between Sunset and Opelousas after Dewoody led them to it. The aggravated rape and aggravated kidnapping charges stemmed from a separate incident involving a separate victim. Dewoody was on parole when he committed the crimes.