Bush Man Gets 50 Years For Killing and Burning Ex-Girlfriend

District Attorney Warren Montgomery reports that Gary L. Harris (57) of Bush was sentenced Tuesday (March 12, 2019) to serve 50 years in prison for killing his estranged girlfriend and burning her body in 2015. District Judge Raymond Childress sentenced Harris to 40 years on the manslaughter charge and 10 years for obstruction of justice by tampering with evidence. The sentences are to be served consecutively.

Childress also sentenced Harris’s brother, Ray S. Harris (67) of Bush, to five years in prison for accessory after the fact.

The case began unfolding on Sept. 20, 2015 when the victim, Nannette King (42), was reported missing after she left work and never made it back to the Bogalusa motel where she and her daughter were staying. Three weeks later, King’s badly burned body and car were found in a wooded area near Sun.

Gary Harris, who had lived with the victim many years and had an adult daughter with her, became a prime suspect when the investigation found inconsistencies in his story. His relationship with the victim was volatile, which had resulted in the victim and her daughter moving to Bogalusa.

Investigators believe Gary Harris lured King to the home they once shared to pick up her things and strangled her. Ray Harris ultimately confessed to picking up his brother from a location near where King’s body was found and to helping hide evidence of the crime.

Assistant District Attorney Blake Peters prosecuted the case with assistance from Amanda Gritten, a student practitioner.