Simone Shay News Today

A Long Beach resident who was initially charged with murder for the discovery of a man's remains buried in his back yard was sentenced today to six years and eight months in state prison for a trio of drug offenses.

After burying an overdose victim in his yard, Scott Leo continued to invite other men over for sex, meth and GHB, prosecutors said as a long-awaited trial began today.

"The fact that the defendant didn't call 911 when Mr. Kennedy lost consciousness—and subsequently defiled his body—shocked the conscience, but my role is to apply the law, not to be an arbiter of morality," a judge said.

- ADVERTISEMENT - “It is absolutely disgusting what was done,” Superior Court Judge Gary J. Ferrari said. “But putting that aside, that could be different than the actual second-degree murder.” The decision is a significant twist in the prosecution of Scott Leo, who is still facing other charges in the death of 31-year-old Zach Kennedy, whose disappearance more than three years ago sparked an intense search by police and garnered national media attention. Leo’s attorney has admitted h...