MARION COUNTY — A 54-year-old Centralia man was sentenced Wednesday in Marion County Court to 20-years in prison for the 2019 murder of a man at his Green Street Road home.

Cardell Thomas is the third of five defendants to enter a plea agreement in connection with the December 3, 2019, shooting death of Clendar Edmund.

Cardell Thomas

Thomas was charged with first-degree murder and Class 1 second degree murder. He pleaded guilty Wednesday to the lesser charge of second-degree murder in exchange for the first-degree murder charge being dismissed.

Court records say that 31-year-old Krystal Scerba and 29-year-old Blake Shahan, both of Centralia, brought Edmund to Thomas’ home at the direction of 27-year-old Mantez Duncan.

After Duncan and 28-year-old Darleedria Flippen arrived at Thomas’ home, Flippen was given a black bag with a large amount of cash that had earlier been taken from Edmond.

Edmond was then allegedly taken at gunpoint into the garage of the home where a blue tarp had been spread out on the floor.

As he begged for his life, Edmond was asked for the location of other cash. He gave Duncan a location and that information was then given to Flippen who was told to find the money. When she was unsuccessful in locating the cash, Duncan shot Edmond multiple times.

Duncan and Shahan then reportedly rolled Edmond’s body up in the tarp, loaded it into the back of Thomas’ truck and took the body out to the woods where it was covered with brush and gasoline and set on fire.

Duncan pleaded guilty earlier this month to first-degree murder and was sentenced to 55-years in prison, while Flippen pleaded guilty a few days later to robbery and was sentenced to six years in prison.

Scerba is next due in court Thursday for a final pre-trial hearing while Shahan is next due in court November 17 for a pre-trial hearing.