Man Pleads Guilty To Stealing Body Parts

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Davis Man Accused Of Stealing Human Remains Pleads Guilty

A Davis man accused of stealing human remains donated to UC Davis Medical Center pleaded guilty Friday to the charges against him and now faces a state prison term, according to a Yolo County Deputy District Attorney.
David Lawrence Beale, 46, pleaded guilty to one felony count of receiving stolen property, one felony count of possession of a controlled substance, and one misdemeanor count of unlawful disposal of human remains, officials said.

Beale could face up to three years and eight months in state prison, said Yolo County Deputy District Attorney James Walker. Beale is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 25.
“There are so many people out there who were hurt by this,” Walker said of the friends and relatives of the deceased. “This puts the matter to rest and hopefully people can put the matter behind them.”

Walker said members of the public who were affected by the thefts may speak at Beale’s sentencing.

Police arrested Beale on July 18, 2003 after officers, responding to a tip, found a human bone in a shed on Beale’s property. Investigators said Beale later directed them to more bones in a public storage facility and under a trailer in another section of Davis.

Beale, who worked on contract as an autopsy assistant at the UC Davis Medical Center, was accused of stealing more than 150 pounds of human remains.