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Cole Joseph Marcell pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the killing of Sarah N. Warden in Nez Perce County, Idaho, and was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for at least 30 years.

Warden, 32, of Clarkston, Washington, was a mother of three. Marcell, 24 at the time of his arrest, was from Kamiah, Idaho, and had previously lived in Lewiston and Orofino. Amanda M.D. Jones of Spokane and Gabriel E. Mattingly of Clarkston were also charged. Prosecutors described the three as associates who left with Warden in one vehicle.

Warden was last seen alive on or about June 1, 2018, getting into a pickup driven by Marcell in the parking lot of the Clarkston Walmart. Jones and Mattingly were also inside. Prosecutors said Marcell drove to a secluded roadway near Waha, Idaho, where Warden was killed so the group could take her Social Security check of about $800 for drug money. At sentencing, prosecutors said Marcell slit her throat while Jones held her down and that he bludgeoned her with a hammer. Charging documents alleged he ordered Jones and Mattingly to stab Warden so they would be implicated.

Warden's body was moved and found July 7, 2018, at Mud Springs Pond near Winchester, Idaho. An autopsy found numerous slashes and puncture wounds consistent with a knife, along with head trauma. Because the body was on Nez Perce tribal land, the FBI led the investigation with other agencies.

Marcell was arrested July 11, 2018, during a probation meeting in Orofino. Police reported that he had a large sheathed fillet knife and Warden's debit card. Court documents said he had told fellow inmates at the Clearwater County Jail in June about stabbing a woman. He was charged with first-degree murder, and bond was set at $1 million. Jones and Mattingly were charged later in 2018.

During his recorded interview that day, Marcell initially gave a different account before saying he had lied. He said he had met Jones about a week or two earlier and knew Warden only slightly. He claimed Warden had stolen drugs and property from his truck, that he wanted his money back, and that the plan was to scare her. Marcell said a man he could not name, with a 13 tattooed on his cheek, brought Warden to the truck at Walmart and threatened his life. He said he cut Warden's throat and stabbed her several times out of fear, then helped dump her body at Mud Springs. He said the fillet knife came from that man. Marcell acknowledged what happened but said he had been forced into it. Investigators never identified anyone matching that account, and the only other people charged were Jones and Mattingly.

In fall 2019, Marcell declined a plea agreement because it used the word "premeditated," and a jury trial was set. On February 24, 2020, he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, including the premeditation language, vacating the trial. The prosecutor said he would seek 40 years to life, while the defense was expected to ask for less. Second District Judge Gregory FitzMaurice imposed the life sentence on May 28, 2021. Jones pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 15 to 30 years. Mattingly received 5 to 15 years for concealing the killing. No later developments were confirmed.

The video is a police interview-room recording that runs about 55 minutes. It presents the interview itself and opens with a short narrated introduction naming the people involved.