A bizarre murder and mutilation case in northern Iowa has taken another turn. A Minnesota woman accused of murdering her daughter, cutting off her legs, putting her in the trunk of a car and driving to Mason City to hide out has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Blue Earth County Minnesota District Court. 34-year-old Julie Mae Terrell admitted she shot and killed her 16-year-old daughter Lauralee on March 2 after an argument at their home. Julie Terrell says she fired a gun after the two wrestled with the gun with Julie pushing Lauralee onto the bed in a bedroom. Julie Terrell admitted to authorities that she cut her daughter’s legs off with a hand saw to get her body to fit into the trunk. Mason City police were tipped off to the body being in the trunk after Julie Terrell asked a man to help her get rid of the body. Terrell’s plea to second-degree murder was in exchange for dismissing first-degree murder and interference with a dead body charge. She’ll most likely get 25 years in prison when sentenced next month.
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