DLNews Crime:

After this bestial crime, James Phelps (60) has to spend the rest of his life behind bars.

A court found: The US killer killed Cassidy Rainwater († 33) in the summer of 2021. The woman had been reported missing, and soon after, investigators found her body on the killer's property.

Cassidy Rainwater was defenseless against her tormentors.

The details are shocking: Rainwater was being held in a cage. Then, in September 2021, they received an anonymous tip with chilling photos of the prisoners. She was partially naked in the pictures. The information then led the FBI to Dallas County, almost 160 miles southeast of Kansas City.

Phelps and his accomplice Timothy Norton then came under suspicion. The latter, who was 56 years old, is now being tried.

In this cage, Rainwater had to endure the worst torture.

Torture, Humiliation, And Death

Additional photos showed Rainwater tied to a gantry crane commonly used for processing games. The local sheriff's office said that her evisceration and dismemberment can also be seen. A few days after her body was found, the perpetrator's house was destroyed by fire. The incident was ruled arson. However, investigations revealed that two explosive devices were attached. Did the tormentors want to cover up their crimes?

Timothy Norton was instrumental in the assassination of Cassidy Rainwater as an accomplice.

Investigations have been ongoing for weeks. Cassidy's body parts were in a freezer neatly labeled "7-24." Additional skeletal remains were discovered at a property nearby.The victim has a rather dark, cold case in her family history. Her mother, Tracy Wahwassuck, disappeared in 2007. However, the Laclede County Coroner told KOLR that he doesn't believe the case was linked.

Norton awaits judgment

Phelps filed an Alford plea on Friday, FOX 4 reported. That means he pleaded not guilty but admitted there was enough evidence to convict him.

Phelps' torched the house.

On Tuesday, aide Norton appeared in court in striped prison garb, writes KY3. He was tied hand and foot.

Norton confessed to the FBI that the woman was asleep and he was holding her legs. Meanwhile, the main perpetrator, Phelps, strangled her and suffocated her with a plastic bag. The two are said to have dismembered her afterward. The next trial date was set for the end of June.