MMA Fighter Jarrod Wyatt Gets 47 Years For Ripping Out His Friend’s Still-Beating Heart

Crescent City, CA – Jarrod Wyatt, 29, plead guilty to first-degree murder involving mayhem for killing a friend while they were under the influence of psychedelic mushroom tea. Wyatt, a mixed martial arts athlete, was accused of ripping out Taylor Powell’s still-beating heart. The charges against Wyatt included a special enhancement for using a weapon during the murder.

Before pleading guilty to the first-degree murder of his martial arts sparring partner, Jarrod Wyatt attempted to plead not guilty by reason of insanity. In May, the judge determined that Wyatt was competent to stand trial, according to the Daily Mail.

Prosecutors accused the Northern California man of ripping out Powell’s still-beating heat and tongue after the pair drank psychedelic mushroom team. When police officers arrived on the scene they found Jarrod naked and covered in blood from head to toe, the Times-Standard reports. According to arrest reports, Wyatt was near the mouth of the Klamath River when Yurok Tribal Police and deputies arrived. He reportedly told them that he had killed his friend.

Powell was found dead on a couch at the nearby residence. His chest was cut open, and his tongue, heart, and facial skin had been removed. The heart was later discovered in a charred state inside a wood stove.

Superior Court Judge William Follett had this to say during the sentencing hearing:

“The murders I see are so often senseless, but the brutality and horror involved in this case exceed all of the bounds I have seen. The depths of grief imposed upon the victim’s family are depths I pray no one else will ever suffer. Nothing we do today will bring back this young man.”