The 77-year-old Ashfork man has been charged in connection with the loss of 65-year-old John McCabe, according to Yabapai County Attorney Dennis McGrand.
McGrane said the ju judge found Terry Welfenberg guilty of manslaughter, waiver or cover-up of a body, and tampered with physical evidence on February 13th.
The investigation began after the postmaster of Ashfork Post Office warned the Yabapai County Sheriff’s Office of McCabe’s loss fira and told him he had not received emails in more than a year.
In April 2023, deputies conducted a wellness check on a 36-acre lot in McCabe in Juniper Woods southwest of Ashfork, the county attorney’s office confirmed. They told Welfenberg that McCabe had disappeared over a year ago, but McCabe told him he had given him permission to reside in his property.
Search and rescue volunteers began inspecting the 36-acre lot. The lawyer’s office said when volunteers with an archaeological background found fragments of skulls “a little smaller than a business card” in a burn pit near Welfenberg’s trailer.
A burn pit was excavated and a burning wallet with McCabe’s vehicle registration and a medical warning bracelet with his information, according to the county attorney’s office. Fire bones were also found.
The cause of his death could not be determined and DNA could not be retrieved from the bones found due to the severity of the burn, the county attorney’s office confirmed.
Welfenberg initially denied knowing where McCabe was but eventually admitted to killing him, the lawyer’s office said. Welfenberg claimed that the killing was self-defense before throwing McCabe’s body into the barnpit near the trailer.
“Crimes like these will shock consciousness and will be prosecuted violently in Yabapay County,” McGlenn said.
Welfenberg’s ruling was set for March 24, 2025 in Yabapai County Superior Court. He is expected to receive another 1.5 years of prison on manslaughter charges for 7-21 years, and each of the other charges, the county attorney’s office confirmed.
