Duo pleads guilty in bludgeoning of man found in car trunk

EASTON, Pa. (AP) -- Two Pennsylvania men accused of killing a man during a drug-fueled night of partying and then stuffing his body in a car trunk have both pleaded guilty to murder.

Charles Yocum Jr. and James Heimbach now face up to 40 years in state prison when they're sentenced July 30.

Authorities say the Bethlehem men admitted they were involved in the actions that led to the death of 28-year-old Joseph Goda in September 2016.

But neither man admitted being the person who killed him, and authorities faced challenges proving premeditated murder given the men's drug use at the time.

Authorities have said Goda was bludgeoned with a shotgun at a Bethlehem apartment after he, Yocum and 31-year-old James Heimbach used flakka, a synthetic drug similar to bath salts.