An estranged family came together in a crime that has baffled many and cost one man his life.
Anna Marie Choudhary has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for the second-degree murder of John Thomas McGuire. John was the boyfriend of Anna's sister, Amanda Michelle Naylor McClure. Amanda and their father, Larry Paul McClure Sr., were also involved in the murder and have pleaded guilty to their roles.
The four were away for a weekend when Anna, Amanda, and Larry came together to kill John. John had previously told Larry he was in love with Amanda and asked for her hand in marriage. He wasn't aware that Amanda had started an incestuous relationship with Larry and therefore had no idea what his admission of love would lead to.
In February 2019, Larry McClure was paroled after serving a 17-and-a-half-year sentence for child molestation. Specifically, he was convicted of first-degree sexual assault of a family member between the ages of 6 and 12 in July 1998. At that time, Larry McClure had two daughters, Amanda and Anna, who were ages 9 and 10. Following his conviction, the girls were separately adopted and became estranged from their father.
West Virginia State Police visited Larry McClure to question him over his failure to register as a sex offender. It was then that he began sharing the story of his involvement in the murder of John McGuire. John was the boyfriend of Amanda, who lived with John in Indiana.
Days before the murder, Larry drove to North Carolina to pick Anna up. Then, they drove to Indiana to pick up Amanda and John, who were reportedly "dope sick," the Bluefield Daily Telegraph reports. The four then traveled to Skygusty.
There, they planned to make meth, but they weren't successful in their attempt. It was during that time that Anna claimed Larry had a "quiet rage." She shared that he was frequently walking away with Amanda to talk.
It appears that during the trip, John let Larry know that he was in love with Amanda and wanted to marry her. Unbeknownst to John, Larry and Amanda were in an incestuous relationship. He was far from the happy father of the bride and decided to take action.
Larry instructed Anna to cut pieces of rope, which wasn't unusual since they had used rope before to haul scrap metal. On Valentine's Day, that's when the plan began to shape up. During a Valentine's Day dinner, Larry asked John to play "the trust game." He tied him up, but it quickly became clear this wasn't good-natured fun.
When John moved to free himself, either Amanda or Larry (both claimed to) struck him on the head with a bottle of wine. Then, father and daughters worked together to tie John up further. They spent the next two days torturing him.
John was tied up and tormented, including being injected with liquid methamphetamine. On the third day, they proceeded with the murder.
"A black garbage bag was wrapped around his head by Amanda," Larry McClure testified.
"Anna strangled him … I held him … [It was] 'two to three days of hell.'"
The three then worked together to bury John behind the house. Days later, they dug up the body, which had begun decomposing, and dismembered it, driving stakes through certain body parts. They reburied the remains in another area of the yard.
Amanda continued to cash John's Social Security checks and even posted about him online in the weeks after. On March 11, she traveled with Anna and Larry to Virginia. There, Larry and Amanda were married, despite the fact that it is illegal for parents and children to marry in the state.
"They took me and said I needed to act like a happy witness," Anna testified at her plea hearing.
The information Larry McClure divulged to West Virginia State Police led to the discovery of John's remains. Larry wrote a letter pleading guilty.
"I just want it over," he wrote.
"NO TRIAL. NO TAXPAYERS MONEY SPENT FOR A TRIAL. It is hard for the state of WV to fight against itself because I plead guilty/no contest."
Larry McClure was sentenced to life in prison without chance of parole for first-degree murder in 2020. Amanda received a 40-year sentence for second-degree murder.
It was during Amanda's trial that Larry revealed that Anna was part of the plot because she had dated John before and had a child with him.
At Amanda's sentencing, John's mother asked her what the motive was behind the murder.
"Mrs. Smith, the only answer I can give you as to why things happened is John was with me," Amanda replied.
"My dad didn't want anyone else near me."
Anna has now been sentenced to 40 years in prison, the maximum sentence.
"I hope we got some sort of justice for the family," McDowell County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Dennie Morgan said.
"At the end of the day, I'm thankful to Judge Kornish that she got the maximum sentence. She deserved it."
