A Temple woman originally charged with capital murder pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of murder Friday in a Bell County District Court and was sentenced to 35 years in state prison.

Judge Fancy Jezek, in 426th District Court, sentenced Christian Charlene Bohannon to serve 35 years on the lesser charge, which means Bohannon will be eligible for parole after she serves half the sentence.

If Bohannon had pleaded guilty to the capital murder charge she would have automatically been sentenced to life without parole.

Bohannon was accused of using a golf club to beat Jack B. Ray, 83, to death at his home on Farm-to-Market 439 just east of Killeen.

The jail log shows Bohannon with a home address in the 1600 block of Canyon Creek Drive, in Temple.

Bell County Sheriff’s deputies found Ray in the yard of his home.

Bell County Sheriff Eddie Lange said based upon evidence gathered at the crime scene at least four individuals took part in the murder and Bohannon was the first arrested.

A second suspect committed suicide before he could be arrested and two others remained at large.

Ray was a lifelong Killeen resident who worked for many years as a civil engineer at Fort Hood and also operated his own ranch.