MARINETTE, WI (WTAQ) – A federal prisoner pleaded guilty Tuesday to killing a former suburban Milwaukee man and hiding his body.
33-year-old Erik Smith, who’s serving time in Colorado for child pornography, struck a plea deal in the death of 28-year-old Eric Volp of New Berlin.
Authorities said the two left a bar together in Iron Mountain Michigan in the fall of 2008 — and Volp was not seen after that. The following summer, his body was found in a creek at Dunbar in Marinette County.
An autopsy showed that he was beaten to death.
Smith was reportedly a suspect from the outset — but he was not arrested until after a tipster provided new information in 2011.
Prosecutors said Smith drove over the victim, then hid his body in the creek where a fisherman found it.
In his plea deal, Smith was convicted of homicide by negligent driving, hit-and-run resulting in death, and hiding a corpse. A reckless homicide count was dropped.
Smith will be sentenced on the other counts August 14th.
(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)
