A former Virginia Tech student was given a 45 year prison sentence by a judge for the murder of a fellow student last year.
Jessica Michelle Ewing, who was charged with first degree murder and transporting and concealing a body, was sentenced by Judge Robert Turk on June 1. Ewing killed Samantha Shrestha, her 21-year-old classmate, after the two got into a fight.
Ewing was facing a 20 year minimum sentence, but her prison term depended largely on whether or not the crime was premeditated and what she used to kill Shrestha, according to Roanoke.com.
Ewing alleged that she went to Shrestha’s apartment on the night of February 7, 2014 for a “date night” after the two students had met in a class. Ewing said they drank wine and engaged in sexual activity before getting into a fight, which quickly became physical. Ewing claims she put Shrestha in a chokehold with her arm, although a medical examiner had ruled Shrestha had been killed by a foreign object.
Ewing maintained throughout her testimony that she did not plan to kill Shrestha, which was alleged by the prosecution after ominous texts were discovered on Ewing’s phone.
Shrestha’s body was found three days after the murder wrapped in a sleeping bag in the backseat of her 2004 Mercedes.
