Briana Winston, the Clayton County mother missing since March, was strangled by her boyfriend, who then burned her remains in Tennessee.
According to police Briana, 23, was killed on March 17 during an early morning argument with Michale Edwards about his alleged infidelity.
Michale had married Brienna Phillips Edwards behind Briana’s back.
After strangling Briana Winston, Edwards put her body in a suitcase and drove to the home of his friend in Gates, Tennessee.
The friend helped Michale Edwards burn Briana’s body in a burn barrel.
They used a shovel to break down her bones to speed up the process.
Lt. Ashanti Marbury with the Clayton County Police Department said, “Together, the two men placed a suitcase inside of a burned barrel located behind the home, they doused it with accelerant, lit a fire, and they kept their fire burning from the early afternoon until nightfall.”
After Briana Winston’s body was burned, Edwards allegedly dumped part of it in a cemetery behind a church in Ripley, Tennessee, and part of it along Interstate 40 in Tennessee.
Investigators learned the details of Briana’s gruesome murder after the friend who assisted Edwards came forward under an immunity deal.
The friend spoke to police under a proffer agreement, meaning he will not be charged for helping Edwards.
During the investigation into Briana Winston’s whereabouts, Michale Edwards was in jail on another unrelated charge.
Related: Briana Winston: Clayton County Mom Missing 6 Weeks, Boyfriend & His Wife Are Persons Of Interest
But, he was caught on a jail call asking his wife, Brienna Phillips-Edwards to burn a pair of shoes and globes.
She now faces several charges including party to commission of a crime-murder.
Brienna, who secretly married Michale in January, is also facing charges of providing false statements to police and for providing Edwards with a vehicle to transport Briana Winston’s body to Tennessee.
Edwards’ mother, Ebony Anderson, and his brother, Keilan Wright, were also charged with helping destroy evidence.
“It turned into a family affair,” Marbury said. “He definitely looped everyone into this crime.”
Michale Edwards, who shares a 4-year-old child with Briana Winston, was booked into Clayton County Jail last Thursday.
He is being held without bond.
Watch the full press conference below.
My sincerest condolences and prayers to Briana’s family and friends.
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