Arizona man sentenced for kidnapping, killing, dismembering victim over debt

PHOENIX (TCN) -- A 48-year-old man will spend more than three decades behind bars after a missing man’s dismembered remains were found in his car nearly two years ago.

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office announced Nov. 4 that John Cole pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder, one count of aggravated assault, and one count of abandonment or concealment of a dead body in connection with the death of Antoine Smith. Cole will serve 31 years in prison.

Smith reportedly disappeared and was reported missing in 2022. Smith allegedly sent concerning text messages to his friends, claiming Cole had kidnapped him and shared his location. According to KTVK/KPHO-TV, Cole abducted Smith to collect a debt owed by one of his roommates.

Smith’s other roommate reportedly told Phoenix Police Cole called him and told him he planned to kill Smith if he didn’t get the money. Police tracked Smith’s phone from Phoenix to Tucson, where authorities searched Cole’s home and found "suspicious items, including cleaning supplies and a bloodstained shovel."

According to the attorney’s office, investigators also tracked Cole’s phone near the Arizona-California border, where they took him into custody. Authorities located Smith’s dismembered body in the trunk of the vehicle.

Following his arrest, Cole reportedly claimed self-defense, telling police Smith attacked him when they stopped to use a restroom. Cole allegedly said he fatally strangled Smith before bringing his body to his residence and purchasing supplies to clean and dismember the victim.

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