A former Atlanta police officer was sentenced Monday to life without parole plus 16 years for fatally shooting a woman in 2014, then dousing her body with gasoline and setting her on fire.
Tahreem Rana was convicted in October of murder, concealing the death of another, arson of land and other charges, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
The body of the victim, 26-year-old Vernecia Woodard, was found by Hapeville police less than a mile from Rana’s home, Fulton County District Attorney spokesman Dontaye Carter said.
During the trial, Rana testified he killed Woodard in self-defense, Channel 2 Action News reported. He testified he met Woodard in Hapeville for sex, and she tried to rob and carjack him with his own gun.
However, experts testified that Woodard had wounds in her hand like she was in a defensive mode when she was shot, the station reported.
A few days after Woodard’s body was found, Rana was arrested by U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents while awaiting a flight to Mexico, The AJC reported.
