ST. JOE, ARK. – A St. Joe man has been sentenced to life without parole plus 10 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to Capital Murder and Abuse of a Corpse in the death of his wife.
According to court records, Jeffery Stansbery, 76, pleaded guilty on Friday, October 3, 2025, in Searcy County Circuit Court to the charges stemming from the death of Amanda Stansbery, 43, also of St. Joe.
On September 5, 2024, the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division assisted the Searcy County Sheriff’s Office after deputies discovered Amanda Stansbery deceased at her Chipley Road home. Deputies had been dispatched for a welfare check after Jeffery Stansbery reportedly told staff at Cox Medical Center in Branson, Missouri, that he had harmed his wife. Stansbery had entered the hospital seeking treatment for a medical condition at the time.
