US man accused of dismembering man, throwing arms

KIRKSVILLE, Missouri (AP) - A United States (US) man accused of killing and dismembering another man, then setting fires to conceal the crime, hurled the victim's arms at witnesses shortly before he was arrested, police said.

Paul R. Potter, 49, was charged Monday with second-degree murder, arson and tampering with a motor vehicle and is being held on US$1 million (S$1.22 million) bond. Kevin Locke, the public defender assigned to represent Potter, did not immediately return a phone call on Tuesday seeking comment.

Authorities are not releasing the victim's name until relatives have been notified, the prosecutor's office said.

Police officers responding to a call of a vehicle fire on Sunday arrived at a public housing development and saw Potter "throw two objects, later identified as human arms, toward the witnesses," according to a probable cause statement.