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Prescott woman accused of killing man, faking kidnapping that launched manhunt

The Arizona Department of Public Safety found Stura in a car off Interstate 17 Thursday morning with her hands tied to the steering wheel. Stura told investigators an armed suspect kidnapped her and forced her to drive to the Rimrock area.

PRESCOTT, Ariz. (AP) - Police said Friday, a Prescott woman made up a story about being kidnapped to hide her role in her boyfriend's killing.

Prescott police spokesman Dave Fuller said Friday, 57-year-old Sharalyn Stura was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder.

Fuller said someone driving on Interstate 17 found Stura at the intersection with highway 179, with her hands tied to her steering wheel Thursday morning..

Stura told investigators an armed suspect kidnapped her and forced her to drive to Montezuma's Well in the Rimrock area.

Fuller says while several law enforcement agencies searched for the suspect, detectives found the body of her 66-year-old boyfriend, Jay Michael Freeman, inside Freeman's home. Fuller said Freeman was killed by a single gunshot.

Fuller said inconsistencies in Stura's statements and evidence collected at the home led to her Stura admitting to her involvement in Freeman's death.

"There’s some marks on her. We completely believe those to be self-inflicted and not signs of a struggle or any kind of domestic situation at the house. Those, we’re fairly certain, were self-inflicted," Fuller said.

Fuller said Friday, there was a chance Stura could face more charges, especially after so many law enforcement resources were used in the hours-long manhunt for a fake suspect.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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