A Colorado woman who killed her father and encased his body in concrete and buried him in a crawl space under his Denver home will spend the rest of her life in prison.
FOX 31 reports that 45-year-old Dayna Jennings poisoned her father, William Mussack, 69, with a powerful animal tranquilizer. On January 10, 2018, authorities found the man buried under the crawlspace at his Federal Heights home he shared with Jennings, off of Eliot Circle.
According to an arrest warrant, William’s son, Brian, said that on December 17, 2017, he received a text from his father, who claimed he had been drugged. William said he “had been unconscious for 15 hours after taking a bite of hamburger she [Jennings] had given him.”
After the text, Brian didn’t hear from his father again. Shortly after, Federal Heights authorities began investigating the case and searching for William.
When authorities searched William’s home on December 29, 2018, they noted a foul smell emanating from the area. Jennings told investigators that the smell was coming from a toilet that overflowed, according to The Denver Post.
When investigators returned to the home the next day, they noticed construction materials that were previously in the driveway had been moved. However, Jennings refused to allow the investigators to search inside the home this time, prompting them to get a search warrant.
In January 2018, authorities returned to the home and while looking inside, saw Jennings’ clothes on her father’s bed, as if she had moved into his bedroom. The woman claimed William no longer lived in the home. She then claimed her father was in the mountains with his girlfriend.
While Jennings was still in an interview with investigators, authorities found William’s remains. During the interview, she admitted she poured concrete under the crawlspace at the home. However, when she learned human remains had been found, she stopped the interview and asked for a lawyer.
Investigators learned that Jennings previously sent a text message to her brother, claiming their father had been abusive to her. Family members reportedly said that would have been out of character for Williams.
Prosecutors said they learned Jennings had lost her business in November 2017. They also said William’s bank account showed unusual activity after he disappeared and a check made out to Jennings did not match his signature.
In July, Jennings was found guilty of first-degree murder and tampering with a human body.
On Monday, a Denver judge sentenced Jennings to life in prison without parole.
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[Feature Photo: Dayna Jennings/Police Handout]
