Man pleads guilty to manslaughter

By Laura Johnson | Dadeville Record

Published Wednesday, December 16, 2009

A lengthy two-year murder investigation came to an abrupt end Monday with a guilty plea.

William Acey Fillman, 41, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in connection with the Aug. 3, 2007 murder of 72 year-old Joe Bobby Pugh, according to Tallapoosa County District Attorney E. Paul Jones.

Jones said Fillman would serve at least three years of a 20-year sentence as part of the plea.

“Three years are mandatory,” Jones said. “At the end of that term he will have an opportunity to get probation. I’m pleased with the results under the circumstances and given the evidence in the case.”

Jones said he spoke with members of the Pugh family and they too were satisfied with the outcome.

The length of the investigation hinged largely on the amount of time it took to acquire forensic evidence, according to Jones.

“It started in 2007 and took a while,” Jones said. “It took forever to get DNA.”

Fillman was arrested and charged with murder in late June after an investigation by the Dadeville Police Department.

A June statement released by Jones’ office Monday indicated that a neighbor in the Mayberry Park apartment complex found Pugh’s body in 2007.

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