A California Man Wanted To Become Rich And Eternally Youthful. So He Decapitated A Retired Arborist To Eat.

A California man who was on a quest to find youth and fortune by eating human flesh was recently sentenced to decades behind bars.

In December 2018, Francis Wolke, 30, murdered Kathy Hughes Anderson, a 62-year-old retired arborist, in her Menlo Park home. The Palo Alto Daily Post reported the defendant nearly decapitated the victim after stabbing her in the eye.

Wolke was sentenced to 26 years to life in prison for first-degree murder, according to the outlet.

Palo Alto Online reported Wolke had entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity in San Mateo County Superior Court after he was charged in the case.

Defense attorneys tried to argue Wolke, who reportedly had a history of heavy methamphetamine use and experienced auditory hallucinations, believed if he committed cannibalism, he would “stay young forever” and join the “1%” of people who eat human protein to become rich.

The defense also claimed Wolke believed voices had urged him to kill.

Wolke, however, had no drugs in his system when he murdered Anderson, and prosecutors noted that in the weeks following his arrest, the defendant neither reported experiencing auditory hallucinations nor was observed talking to himself, according to Palo Alto Online.

Wolke was later determined to be legally sane when he committed the slaying.