One of two people accused of killing and dismembering a Greenville woman pleaded guilty to murder on Tuesday and was sentenced to 50 years in prison.

Carman Jenkins, 24, and her husband, Clarence Jenkins, 28, are charged with murder in the death of Mekole Harris, 33, nearly four years ago.

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Harris' severed hands and feet were found in plastic bags outside two homes in Greenville on April 7, 2008.

Carman Jenkins pleaded guilty Tuesday morning.

Last May, prosecutors said they would no longer pursue a capital trial against Jenkins because of her cooperation in leading investigators to the rest of Harris' remains.

Earlier, the 13th Circuit Solicitor's Office had said the Jenkins would stand trial together, but by entering the guilty plea, Carman Jenkins avoids going to trial.

According to a court docket, Clarence Jenkins is scheduled for trial on April 9. If convicted, prosecutors said they plan to seek the death penalty against him.

Carman said Tuesday she would testify in the trial of her husband.

A judge issued a gag order to prevent anyone connected to the case from speaking to the media about the crime. But, over the years, details about the crime have emerged during court proceedings.

Investigators on the stand said they found blood-covered walls inside the Jenkins' home and evidence that the couple used pruning shears to cut up the body. During testimony, police also described finding a "glob" of hair, handcuffs, swords and knives scattered throughout the home.

Very little information has surfaced to explain why Harris became the victim in this case, but testimony has suggested the crime was committed to threaten Grace Davis, a woman who investigators said temporarily lived with the Jenkins while romantically involved with Clarence.

Police said a few weeks after Davis moved out of the Jenkins' home, the body parts were found outside an apartment on Cleveland Street and a house on Rose Avenue. Investigators said Davis' aunt lived at the Cleveland Street location, and her mother had just moved out of the Rose Avenue home. Court testimony revealed the body parts were accompanied by letters that threatened to dismember Davis if she did not pay a $10,000 debt.

In October 2008, Beverly Major, the mother of Carman Jenkins, attended a hearing for her daughter.

Major said her daughter was a former honor student and basketball player who was "sweet" and "worked religiously in church."

"I feel like she's innocent," Major said.

During a bond hearing for Jenkins, investigators described Harris as a "random victim" who had no connection to Davis. Police said just days before the Harris' body parts were found in plastic bags, witnesses described seeing Clarence Jenkins with Harris at Labor Finders, a staffing agency on Rutherford Street.

Harris' mother, Jessie Harris, said her daughter was a single mother of four, whose children were living with other relatives, as she struggled with drugs and tried to get her life in order. "I will always miss her," Jessie Harris said. "There will always be a part of my heart that's been taken away."

Jessie Harris continued to honor her daughter's memory with candlelight vigils and special gatherings on Mekole's birthday until her own death on March 13, 2010.