Employee sentenced in murder of Pizza Hut manager found dead in garbage can

MILWAUKEE -- A sentence has been handed down to the employee charged with killing a Pizza Hut manager in South Milwaukee.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

Kavonn Ingram was sentenced to 40 years after he pleaded guilty to first degree reckless homicide. He entered the guilty plea back in August and was sentenced Oct. 4.

Ingram was also sentenced to another five years to be served consecutively for possession of the murder weapon, which prosecutors say was a gun belonging to another restaurant employee, that Ingram had taken.

Ingram is accused of killing 55-year-old Alexander Stengel, whose body was found in a garbage can outside the restaurant back in February. Investigators believe Stengel was killed in the kitchen area of the Pizza Hut and wrapped in a garbage bag before Ingram disposed of the body.

An autopsy determined Stengel had been shot in the head at close range and had puncture wounds to the neck and head. The criminal complaint says Stengel had cashed an inheritance check just before heading to work that day and likely had $7,000 in his possession.

In court, Ingram claimed he acted in self-defense. "The altercation did not have to become physical until it was initiated by the deceased - in a state of panic, anxiety, fear, grief and the notion that I would never recover proper justice, I committed inexcusable actions after the altercation," he said before sentencing.

Judge Michelle Havas responded before handing down her decision. "Frankly, I don't believe you. I don't believe for one second that this was anything but a cold-blooded execution of someone who worked for 33 years for crappy wages at a Pizza Hut, because it's what he could do," said Judge Havas.

Prosecutors spoke in court about Ingram's attempts to cover up the murder by hiding the body, clocking the victim out of work, and texting from the victim's phone.

"I take responsibility for my wrong actions taken after the altercation at Pizza Hut, however the events leading up to the altercation as well as the physical fight caused me to act in survival mode," Ingram said.

Ingram's grandmother also spoke before sentencing about her grandson's difficult upbringing. She said his actions are not who he truly is and asked the judge for leniency.

Investigators say the Pizza Hut did not have surveillance cameras but based off video from a nearby restaurant, they believe Stengel was killed on Feb. 5.

His body was found on Feb. 7 and Ingram was arrested on the 11th. Stengel's niece, nephew, and sister spoke in court about the impact of the crime on their family.

"I imagine his suffering. And his agony. His voice haunts me. I wonder what he was thinking in those last moments," said Pamela Stengel.

A restitution hearing is scheduled for next month.

The-CNN-Wire & 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.