The man convicted of killing former Fox executive Gavin Smith has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for the crime, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday.
John Creech, 45, was found guilty of one count of voluntary manslaughter in July.
Smith was last seen alive on May 1, 2012, with Creech’s estranged wife in his car at a park. Creech beat Smith while Creech’s wife pleaded with him to stop, according to prosecutors.
Nearly a year after his disappearance, the former Fox executive’s car was found at a Simi Valley storage facility that was connected to Creech. Smith’s remains were discovered in a shallow grave in the Angeles National Forest on October 26, 2014.
Smith, 57, was an 18-year veteran at Fox. Shortly after he went missing, his wife, Lisa, and three sons offered a $20,000 reward for information on his disappearance, the Los Angeles Times reported at the time.