TULSA (AP) -- A man charged in the death of a Talala man who had been missing has been sentenced to life in prison.
Vernon Smith was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced Thursday in the death of 27-year-old Chazz Holly.
Holly's family had been searching for him for about a month after he was last seen in Tulsa. A police investigation led authorities to Longview, Texas, where his father's pickup was found. Holly's body was found by family members in June 2015 along a highway near Antlers in Pushmataha County.
Prosecutors say Smith and Holly met up with three other men, and an altercation resulted in Holly being forced into the covered bed of the pickup. Prosecutors say Holly died as a result of being confined for several hours on a hot day.
The three other men also face charges.
