A Kansas man was sentenced Monday to four years and two months in prison for beheading another man with a guitar string after a plea deal that prosecutors said they accepted because of problems with the case. James Paul Harris, 30, originally was charged with first-degree murder in the 2011 garroting death of 49-year-old James Gerety, but pleaded no contest in December to involuntary manslaughter. The victim's brother, Tom Gerety, called the justice system 'a joke' after learning how long Harris would serve. Light punishment: James Paul Harris (left), 30, pleaded no contest in December to involuntary manslaughter in the 2011 garroting death of 49-year-old James Gerety (right). On Monday, a judge sentenced Harris to four years and two months . But Osage County Attorney Brandon Jones said pursuing the more serious charge posed challenges because of problems with evidence and key witnesses. A former girlfriend testified a year ago that Harris told her he shot Gerety in the stomach, tortured him for two days, then cut off his head. Prosecutors allege Harris kept Gerety's head for months for some type of religious practice, identified earlier as voodoo. Part of the skull was found in March 2012 in rural Osage County on land where Harris' father lived. 'You can murder somebody and get out in 50 months,' Tom Gerety said, according to The Topeka Capital-Journal. 'What's that tell everybody on the wrong side of the law?' Other than a portion of the victim's skull, prosecutors did not have the victim's body, the murder weapon had not been recovered, not all of the prosecution's witnesses were available, and prosecutors faced 'credibility issues' with a major witness, Jones said. 'It was going to be a tough case to prosecute,' Jones said. Harris declined to say anything during the sentencing. The judge asked if Tom Gerety wanted to say anything. 'It wouldn't do any good,' Mr Gerety replied. Thomas Henderson, an attorney who handled Gerety's Social Security payments, testified at a March 2014 preliminary hearing that he reported Gerety missing in April 2011 after he failed to pick up his payments. Outraged: The victim's brother, Tom Gerety (pictured) said the justice system is 'a joke,' and that the light sentence sends the wrong message . Henderson said Gerety planned to live with James Harris in Carbondale, 18 miles south of Topeka. Bobbie Williams, Harris' former girlfriend, testified in court that the defendant told her he killed Gerety using a guitar string, disposed of the body, but kept the head in a bag for himself. Another witness at that hearing, Topeka police Detective Brian Hill, said that during questioning after his arrest, Harris told him that he kept the victim's head in a canvas bag with a draw string. Hill testified that Harris spoke to the head, and had an active interest in voodoo and practiced it. According to Harris' former girlfriend, Harris told her that he had shot the victim in the stomach and then tortured him for two days at their Topeka house. After he had finished with his brutal treatment of Gerety, Harris then decapitated him with the string, according to Williams' testimony. Then, Harris is said to have put Gerety's torso, arms and legs in a barrel and burried it on land owned by his father, Jeff Harris in Osage County. Gerety's skull was recovered on March 24, 2012, at Jeff Harris' home by his girlfriend, Shirley Johnson. She had been on the hunt for mushrooms when she found a ball barely buried and brought it inside to show Harris' father, who promptly called the police and his son was arrested. Harris was in federal custody on unrelated charges when a warrant was issued in October 2013 and he was placed on hold for Kansas authorities.
James Harris, 30, got four years and two months in prison in 2011 garroting death of 49-year-old James Gerety in Kansas.
His ex-girlfriend testified last year that Harris kept Gerety's severed head and spoke to it after the slaying.
The woman told the court Harris admitted to shooting Gerety and torturing him for two days before cutting his head off.
Harris originally was charged with first-degree murder but pleaded no contest in December to involuntary manslaughter.
Prosecutors said they accepted plea deal because of major problems with evidence and witnesses.