CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – A man accused of hiding a body in a freezer has pleaded not guilty.
According to Kanawha County Circuit Court documents, Samuel May, 45, pleaded not guilty to first degree murder and concealment of a human body.
May was indicted on Nov. 11, 2022, for first-degree murder, concealment of a deceased human body, fraud, and related activity in connection with an access device.
In September 2022, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office announced that 71-year-old Cynthia Mudd’s body was found in a freezer on the 5000 block of Saulton Dr. on Aug. 19.
According to court records, Samuel Lee May admitted to Kanawha deputies that he killed Mudd, but he could not provide more details because he “blacked out.” He told deputies that Arnold Ward Hiller assisted him in concealing Mudd’s body. May also told deputies that Mudd’s body had been in the freezer for about 30 days.
Hiller was charged with fraud after allegedly withdrawing $1,100 from Mudd’s bank account after she died.
May’s trial is set for Feb. 27, 2023. He is being held at South Central Regional Jail without bond.