NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — A woman was sentenced to life in prison Friday for the 2020 murder of a Granby High School student in Newport News who police say was shot to stop the student from testifying against an alleged rapist.
Crystal Kaiser-Albritton pleaded guilty in March to first-degree murder and a firearms charge in exchange for the dismissal of five other charges.
WATCH: Virginia woman pleads guilty to murder of 17-year-old girl
Virginia woman pleads guilty to murder of 17-year-old girl
On Friday, Kaiser-Albritton was sentenced to life in prison for murder. She was also sentenced to three years in prison for using a firearm to commit a felony. The sentences will run consecutively, meaning that if she is released from her life sentence, she will have to serve an additional three years for the firearm charge.
Kaiser Albritton's sentence came nearly four years after police said 17-year-old Asia Cowell was kidnapped in Norfolk and killed in Newport News.
WATCH: Police body camera footage shows the discovery of Asia Cowell's body, with the body blurred out.
Asia Cowell caught on police body camera
Kaiser Albritton is one of three suspects who accuse police of killing Asia to stop her from testifying against her alleged rapist.
According to court documents, Asia was lured to a Norfolk home by a woman who contacted her on Instagram, who she identified as Kaiser Albritton, who she mistakenly believed to be offering hairstyling services.
According to court documents, after Asia entered the home, Kaiser Albritton and two other suspects, her husband, Devin Albritton, and a woman named Daza Fester, abducted her. Fester's brother was scheduled to testify before Asia's death.
The three suspects then drove Asia to a wooded area in Newport News, where Kaiser Albritton shot her in the back of the head, according to documents. Police found Asia's body several weeks later.
Devin Albritton's sentence is scheduled for Sept. 6. Deza Fester's arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 30.
Fester's brother, who Asia was scheduled to testify against, has been cleared of any wrongdoing in connection with her death.
