A Valley man has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of an elderly Phoenix resident three years ago.

Thomas Samuel Wallace, 60, was convicted of one count of first-degree murder, one count of unlawful use of a means of transportation, two counts of trafficking in stolen property and one count of abandonment or concealment of a dead body in the death of 79-year-old Phoenix resident Kenneth Maynard Peterson, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

“It is astonishing to me that this defendant thought he could kill a man, drive his truck, and profit from his belongings yet still think he wouldn’t be caught,” said County Attorney Rachel Mitchell in a press release.

Phoenix Police discovered Peterson’s decomposed and dismembered remains in his house after multiple request to check on his welfare after he had not been heard from in weeks during fall 2022, according to a press release.

Investigators found Wallace had been driving Peterson’s truck and stolen other belongings. Evidence included items sold at a pawn shop, surveillance video and forensic evidence recovered from cell phones linked Wallace to the murder, officials said.