North Naples man sentenced to 50 years for decapitating girlfriend

A North Naples man authorities say decapitated his girlfriend and stuck her head on a pole pleaded guilty Friday, the state attorney's office said.

Christopher Serna, who killed Suzanne Bishop in 2011, was handed down a sentence of 50 years, said Samantha Syoen, a spokeswoman for the state attorney.

"This saved the family from having to relive the case and hear again what he did to her," Syoen said. "In many people's eyes, this is virtually a life sentence."

On July 26, 2011, deputies found Serna in his apartment covered in blood and unable to speak. Feet away from Serna, deputies saw what appeared to be a head with a metal rod shoved through the bottom. The floor was covered in blood. Inside of a bedroom, they found Bishop's body.

Serna, 38, and Bishop, 45 years old at the time of the killing, had been dating for a few months.

According to a previous report, paperwork filed last year showed Serna's attorneys were planning to use the insanity defense in the case while asking to have crime scene and autopsy photos barred from evidence due to their graphic nature.

It took investigators three days to process the gruesome crime scene. Bloody items were found in the home including several knives, a Louisville Slugger baseball bat, beer bottles, cigarettes and clothes.

At the time of the killing, Serna worked as a maintenance worker at a high-rise condominium in Pelican Bay. Co-workers told investigators Serna was acting bizarrely prior to Bishop's death.