St. Louis County, MO  (KTRS)  A Berkeley man is facing life behind bars in the murder of his girlfriend.

That sentence was handed down Thursday for 29-year-old Ray Ellis in the death of Monica Sykes. The 25-year-old woman went missing in October of 2016. After months of organized searches, her remains were found in a deserted Kinloch field in February of 2017.

Prosecutors say Ellis confessed to a friend that he killed Sykes and that he and his brother burned the car because her blood was in it.

Ellis’ defense lawyer said police arrested the wrong man.