Woman sentenced to life in prison for murder, dismemberment of exotic dancer in 2016

NEWTON COUNTY, Ga. (TCN) -- A 30-year-old woman who, along with her boyfriend, killed and dismembered a 19-year-old exotic dancer in 2016 has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

In February 2016, Morgan Bauer moved from her home in Aberdeen, South Dakota, to Atlanta, Georgia, and began work as an exotic dancer. According to her mother, Sherry Keenan, Bauer had responded to an ad on Craigslist looking for a housekeeper, but it fell through, KELO reports. 

Bauer was last seen leaving work on Feb. 25, 2016, and posted on social media the following day.

Keenan reported Bauer missing in March 2016 and traveled to Atlanta, where she sought assistance from a nonprofit that provides resources for women working in the sex industry, per the Covington News. 

At a press conference in July 2023, law enforcement announced they had obtained a warrant to search a property based “credible information and evidence gathered during the course of this investigation.” WAGA reports Bauer’s remains were not found during that search.

Katelyn Goble came forward in 2023 gave detailed information to investigators about where Bauer’s remains were located, WSB-TV reports. 

In August 2023, Goble was arrested in Illinois and initially charged with felony counts of evidence tampering and concealing a death, according to the City of Porterdale Police Department. Goble’s co-defendant, Johnathan Alexander Warren, was arrested in Los Angeles, California, and charged with murder, aggravated assault, concealing a death, and tampering with evidence. 

According to prosecutors, Goble and Warren, who were in a relationship, were “psychopaths” obsessed with serial killers and targeted Bauer because they believed she would not be missed, WSB-TV reports. The outlet said the couple made friends with Bauer and lured her to their property. She was strangled and dismembered and her remains were burned, per prosecutors.

After Goble and Warren broke up, Goble married David Settles II and he became the prosecution’s key witness after prosecutors learned Goble had confessed to him during their relationship, Court TV reports. On the stand, Settles testified that Goble told him she and Warren had chopped Bauer’s body up and dissolved it in acid.

In January 2024, Warren, now 37, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to malice murder, tampering with evidence, concealing the death of another, and necrophilia, according to Atlanta News First.

On Aug. 31, Goble was found guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, concealing a death, and tampering with evidence, according to Atlanta News First. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. WSB-TV reports that the jury deliberated for about 30 minutes before returning the verdict.

The defense said Goble was present when Bauer was killed, but Warren carried out the killing, WSB-TV reports. The defense stated Goble was afraid of Warren and did not want to speak out about what had occurred. 

At the sentencing, Bauer’s loved ones gave impact statements. Keenan said of Goble, “May she reside in a personal hell that she created, so she cannot harm another living soul,” according to WSB-TV.

According to Bauer’s obituary, she had “a vibrant spirit, a kind heart, and a deep passion for disc golf, art, singing, dancing, and a natural fun flare for drama. Morgan was known for being outgoing, outspoken, charismatic, the life of the party, and a bright light in her family’s life.”

MORE: