TIPSTER FOUND GUILTY IN MINERAL WELLS MURDER

(02/25/2006)
A tipster in the brutal decapitation of her cousin has been convicted in Akron of aggravated murder.

Twenty-year-old Lisa Penix was convicted in last year's death of 19-year-old Steven Spade in her home.

Spade's burned body with head removed was found in a field near Mineral Wells last February.

Police say Penix provided clues in the case, but prosecutors say she witnessed her boyfriend beat, shoot and decapitate Spade.

Penix, who had claimed she feared retribution for tipping police, could receive up to 20 years in prison.