Arizona man receives 16 years in prison for killing friend, burying body in backyard

KINGMAN, Ariz. — A Kingman man was sentenced to 16 years in prison Monday for killing his friend, encasing the body in cement and looting the victim’s estate.

Richard Polaski, 63, previously pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in a plea bargain for the June 2015 death of John Holland, 65.

Chief Deputy Mohave County Attorney James Schoppmann rebutted Polaski’s claim of self-defense before the sentencing by noting that Holland was stabbed more than 30 times.

Schoppmann also told Judge Lee Jantzen that Polaski placed duct tape over Holland’s mouth, wrapped his torso and head in plastic and placed the body in a hole dug in the backyard of a north Kingman home. Schoppmann said Polaski sprinkled lime over the body before placing concrete chunks on top and covering the burial site with a layer of newly poured concrete.

The site was excavated and body was recovered in August.

According to court records, Polaski said he was involved in a fraudulent scheme to take control of all of Holland’s assets, including a bank account exceeding $1 million, his homes and his vehicles.

The plea agreement spares Polaski further prosecution. But authorities continue investigating the asset theft and what to do with whatever is recovered as Holland had no known rightful heirs.