KIRKSVILLE, Mo. (CN) - A coroner on Tuesday identified a 74-year-old man who was stabbed to death and whose alleged killer threw his dismembered arms at bystanders.
Adair County Coroner Brian Noe said that Willis Edward Meredith died from multiple stab wounds on Jan. 6. Noe told The Associated Press that he used Meredith's tattoos to identify him.
State prosecutors say Paul Potter, 49, killed Meredith, burned his body and threw his dismembered arms at people who had gathered at an apartment complex to watch a vehicle fire that Potter also is accused of setting.
Potter also tried to drag a resident into an apartment, which also was on fire, according to the Kirksville Daily Express.
Potter is charged with second-degree murder, arson and tampering and is being held on $1 million bond.
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