CHANDLER, AZ – A man from Arizona has admitted to the gruesome murder and dismemberment of his roommate, whose remains were scattered across various locations, including trash bags, a desert, and a riverbed.

Timothy J. Sullivan, 66, has entered a guilty plea to second-degree murder and concealing a body in connection with the death of Amy “Ruby” Leagans, 49. Sullivan is slated for sentencing on October 7, according to online court records. His trial had been scheduled to start this Wednesday.

Leagans had relocated from Illinois to Chandler in April 2020, seeking a fresh start. “Her dream was to spend Christmas in a swimsuit while we were bundled up in our winter gear,” her sister, Christa Holton, recalled.

However, Sullivan, who was both Leagans’ roommate and former romantic partner, ended her life brutally in October 2020. He confessed to the killing, explaining that it followed an argument in which Leagans allegedly yelled at him. He told police that he “snapped” and strangled her to death.

Initially, Sullivan kept Leagans’ body in their apartment for two days before burying her in the backyard. Fearing discovery, he later dismembered her body and disposed of the parts in different trash cans around the area.

Leagans was last seen on October 21, 2020, and was officially reported missing on October 27. Authorities subsequently found her torso in a desert, and other remains near the Salt River bottom in Phoenix.

Sullivan had previously tried to mount an insanity defense, claiming a traumatic brain injury left him incapable of understanding his actions at the time of the murder. Prosecutors, however, disputed this defense, noting that no evidence of such an injury had been presented earlier.

“This loss is incredibly painful; our lives will never be the same,” Holton said, expressing the profound impact of her sister’s violent death.