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Man dies of heart attack while burying girlfriend in backyard

Dog rescued after being found buried alive in California field FILE PHOTO: A dog was rescued Thursday after being found buried alive in a California field. (Erkki Makkonen/Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Talk about karma. A South Carolina man has died of a heart attack -- while burying his dead girlfriend in his backyard, authorities say.

Deputies found the body of 60-year-old Trenton resident Joseph Anthony McKinnon in his backyard over the weekend, according to the Edgefield County Sheriff’s Office. Next to McKinnon was a freshly-dug grave and a body, wrapped in trash bags. Sheriff’s officials say the body was that of 65-year-old Patricia Ruth Kent, McKinnon’s girlfriend.

Investigators believe McKinnon strangled Kent before starting to dig a hole for the body in his backyard. They say he was nearly finished when he suffered a heart attack and died.

Joe Kelley

Joe Kelley

WDBO News Director and host the The Joe Kelley Show - weekdays from 5:00PM to 7:00PM on WDBO.