KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A man convicted of killing and beheading his then-girlfriend’s 3-year-old daughter and dumping her body in the woods was sentenced yesterday to life without parole.

Before being sentenced, Harrell Johnson insisted he is innocent of the 2001 murder of Erica Green. The girl’s remains went unidentified for four years after they were found, during which time she was referred as “Precious Doe.”