Charles McGhee expected to enter guilty plea Thursday

Charles E. McGhee II, accused of killing his wife Courtney McGhee in June, is expected to plead guilty and be sentenced Thursday.

According to a news release from the Centre County District Attorney’s Office, McGhee, 38, of Bellefonte, is due to appear before Centre County Judge Katherine Oliver to enter a guilty plea and be immediately sentenced. No additional information was provided on what sentence could be handed out.

McGhee was charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, aggravated arson and flight to avoid apprehension — all felony charges — in June after police discovered his wife’s body in their Bellefonte home. McGhee had allegedly attempted to set fire to the scene to destroy evidence.

McGhee’s daughter was at home at the time of the incident, police said, and was awoken by smoke detectors. She was then reportedly told by McGhee to go to a neighbor’s house before he allegedly fled the county.

He was taken into custody by state police after crashing his car in Lycoming County.

This story was originally published December 20, 2017 at 3:37 PM with the headline "Charles McGhee expected to enter guilty plea Thursday."