An Alabama man faces serious charges after allegedly accepting money to commit murder and then attempting to conceal the crime by burying the victim’s body inside a pickup truck, which he set on fire. The burial was completed using a backhoe.

John Collum, aged 57, was indicted by a Bibb County grand jury on multiple charges, including murder for hire, hindering prosecution, and corpse abuse. Details of the indictment can be found here.

The indictment also implicates two other individuals who are accused of assisting Collum in the burial and incineration of Oscar de Santiago Soto’s remains within his truck, before using a backhoe to cover the burial site.

As reported by the Shelby County Reporter, Soto was last seen on June 18 in Montevallo. His remains were discovered 10 days later, inside his burned Ford Ranger, less than a mile from the last sighting of the vehicle.

Initially, Collum faced charges earlier this year for corpse abuse, tampering with evidence, and hindering prosecution. However, in September, the Bibb County District Attorney’s Office escalated the charges to include murder for hire.

Court documents say he was paid in “US Currency,” but they do not say how much, nor do they indicate if prosecutors know who paid him.

One of the two people named in Collum’s indictment as assisting him with Soto’s burial in reportedly in federal custody, but it’s not clear if that person has been charged in connection with Soto’s murder.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency says that more arrests may be forthcoming.

Collum has pleaded not guilty.