CHATOM — A southwest Alabama man and his first wife have been charged in the slaying of another of the man's estranged wives, police said.

Samuel Sullivan, 42, and Jenny Sullivan are charged with capital murder and kidnapping in the death earlier this year of Terri Sullivan, said Washington County Sheriff Richard Stringer.

The woman's burned remains were found inside a burned rental car in rural Mobile County in March. Investigators believe the vehicle was left in the woods months earlier.

Samuel Sullivan and the women came under scrutiny soon after the discovery, Stringer told WKRG-TV.

"They were suspected. We just needed the evidence," he said.

Authorities said Jenny Sullivan is the first wife of Samuel Sullivan, and he was going through a divorce with Terri Sullivan at the time of her disappearance.

Disputes over a home and other property apparently led to the killing of Terri Sullivan, who worked as a nurse, Stringer said.

Responding to a request for comment, an attorney for Samuel Sullivan released a copy of a court order signed Friday barring lawyers and others involved in the case from commenting publicly.

Court records did not show whether Jenny Sullivan had a lawyer.

The man and the woman purchased prepaid cellphones which were activated on the morning of the slaying, court documents show. Investigators traced those phones to the location where the woman was last seen, as well as to the site where the burned car was discovered, records said.