PHOENIX -- A Glendale man has been sentenced to three life terms for the murders of three men in 2003.

Howard Frances Underwood, 27, pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of robbery on July 21, 2008.

According to an El Mirage police probable cause statement, officers following up on a 911 call on Sept. 9, 2003, found three naked men with their throats cut in a home on West Columbine.

Autopsies of the three men revealed they died from blunt force trauma and sharp force injuries. An investigation led to Underwood.

Warrants obtained to search two properties belonging to Underwood turned up evidence to tie him to the murders, the statement said.

A witness also identified Underwood in a photo line-up just a block from where the bodies were found. His palm print was also located on the victim's vehicle.

One witness said that on the 10th day after the murders, Underwood sold him a gun for $200. The gun belonged to one of the victims, the statement said.

Underwood was taken into custody by the Philadelphia Police Department and he was extradited to Arizona.

When questioned by police, Underwood denied participation, but claimed he had been present a week earlier when a drug deal was negotiated with two of the older victims.