Man pleaded guilty to 2019 killing, sentenced to 45 years in prison; two other men awaiting trial
ZACHARY - A man was sentenced to 45 years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to the 2019 killing of a 73-year-old woman.
Adrian Curtis, one of three men charged in the murder of Frances Jane Schultz, withdrew his plea of not guilty on counts of manslaughter and armed robbery in the 19th Judicial District Courthouse.
Adrian Curtis, his older brother Courtland Curtis and Donevan Brown were all arrested for the murder.
Schultz was found bound by duct tape and with gunshot wounds to the head inside her home on Brian Road on March 21, 2019. Schultz's husband reportedly discovered her body after he returned home from a funeral that night.
Investigators said they also found signs of forced entry at the front door, and multiple items were missing, including a ring and two guns.
The sheriff said a notepad inside the residence with Adrian Curtis' nickname and phone number, as well as his DNA being found beneath the victim's fingernails, led investigators to seek him out. It was later learned Curtis had previously worked on the couple's property moving hay.
Adrian Curtis allegedly admitted to the crime, saying Brown drove them to the house, and all three helped bind Schultz. Curtis said his brother, Courtland, dragged Schultz into the house and shot her multiple times with one of the stolen firearms.
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Courtland Curtis and Donevan Brown still face trial for the killing.