Left inset: John Collum (Bibb County Sheriff's Department). Center inset: Oscar De Santiago Soto (Montevallo Police Department). Right inset: The 1998 Ford Ranger that John Collum allegedly set on fire with Oscar De Santiago Soto's body inside before burying both in a hole that Collum dug with a backhoe (Montevallo Police Department). Background: The 2000 block of Randolph Road in Bibb County, Ala., where John Collum allegedly buried Oscar De Santiago Soto, along with his Ford Ranger, after setting both on fire (Google Maps).
An Alabama man has been indicted on a capital murder-for-hire charge for allegedly taking part in the slaying of a man who had his body and pickup truck set on fire before being buried together "in a hole … with a backhoe," according to court documents.
John Wesley Collum, 57, was hired to help kill Oscar De Santiago Soto, 36, earlier this year with a pair of unidentified suspects, according to Bibb County prosecutors.
Charging documents obtained by local NBC affiliate WVTM outline how Collum assisted in "placing [Soto's body] in a hole, setting them on fire, and burying them with a backhoe."
The men allegedly buried Soto's truck with his body inside of it before setting it ablaze.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
"John Wesley Collum … did intentionally cause the death of [Soto]," the documents say. "[Collum] did knowingly and willfully abuse the corpse of [Soto]."
Prosecutors have told reporters that at least one other suspect has been taken into custody, but it's unclear if he's been formally charged yet.
Collum was indicted for capital murder for pecuniary gain, hindering prosecution, abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence. He is accused of killing Soto for an undisclosed amount of money and attempting to destroy evidence, according to the local Tuscaloosa Thread news outlet.
Police say Soto was driving a 1998 Ford Ranger pickup truck when he went missing on June 18. Photos of him and the truck were released to the public earlier this year and Montevallo cops probed his disappearance with help from the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation and federal authorities.
Soto's remains were found within a mile of where his vehicle was last seen in an area on the 2000 block of Randolph Road. Prosecutors say Collum allegedly buried and set his body on fire sometime between June 18 and June 27.
Collum was locked up in the Bibb County Jail with no bond set. His trial is scheduled to take place in September 2026. He has pleaded not guilty.
