A man was sentenced to two life terms plus 20 years after pleading guilty to running over and killing a woman in the parking lot of a Covington Wal-Mart, Channel 2 Action News reported.
Brandon Shawn Smith, originally from Virginia, entered the plea Wednesday in Newton County Judicial Court. Charges against him were malice and felony murder, armed robbery, kidnapping and aggravated assault.
After several statements from the victim’s family members were read in court, Smith said he hoped the family could someday forgive him, the station reported.
Smith and Stephanie Marie Rodriguez, originally from New Mexico, were arrested in Manchester, Tenn., after the incident that killed Marsha Johnson, 65, last November, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
Police say Smith and Rodriguez ran over and killed Johnson after she resisted an attempt to snatch her purse. A credit card belonging to the victim was found at a Chattanooga chicken processing plant, and a Manchester resident who saw news reports about the suspects tipped off police, officials said.
Smith and Rodriguez are thought to be responsible for several violent purse snatchings in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida and Georgia.
The court ordered a mental evaluation of Rodriguez for competency and criminal responsibility before she can go to trial.
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