Guilty verdict in trial of Lexington man charged with dismembering girlfriend

A Fayette County jury returned a guilty verdict in the trial of a man charged with murdering his girlfriend.

The jury found Paris Charles, 59, guilty of murder and abuse of a corpse in the death of Goldia Massey at his home on Chatsworth Drive in the fall of 2014.

The sentencing phase began around 2:45 on Wednesday afternoon. Just an hour later, the jury recommended Charles spend 35 years in prison on the murder charge. They recommended one year in jail and a $500 fine on the abuse of corpse charge.

Massey's sister, Cheryl Saylor, testified during the sentencing phase about what life is like now that her sister is gone.

"Just trying to get through every day," Saylor said - "it's been so surreal since all this has happened, we've really just had a chance to realize she's never coming back.

"Her favorite thing was always swimming, growing up," Saylor added. "Even as adults. But every time I get in a pool or near the river now that's all I see, wondering if we ever going to find any more of her. Whenever the news comes on, they've found body parts, we're always running to the TV to see if they're identified as her or someone else."

Back in February of 2015, Detectives testified they found large amounts of Goldia Massey's blood in her boyfriend's home, leading them to believe that is where she was killed.

Massey, 50, was

. Three weeks later, investigators found dismembered human remains along the Kentucky River in Henry and Jessamine counties. They

His arrest citation indicates Goldia Massey was killed on Sep. 20. McCown said they are still trying to determine how Massey died, but he said they know where she was killed.

When Charles was interviewed by detectives, he told them he picked up Massey in Cynthiana and then they went to a bar in Lexington. Then he told officers he dropped her off at an apartment where she used to live.

Detectives say cellphone records show Massey's phone was with Charles' phone when it stopped operating on Sept. 21. The next day, investigators say cell phone records show that Charles was near bridges that cross the Kentucky River at the Fayette-Madison County line.

Weeks later, Massey's severed arms and torso washed up on the banks of the river in Jessamine and Henry County. When police searched Charles' home, they noticed some doors and walls had been repainted. Charles' attorney says he was remodeling.