A judge sentenced Crystal Albritton to life in prison for the 2020 murder of a 17-year-old Granby High School student.
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — A chapter has closed in the years-long case of a Norfolk teen who was kidnapped and murdered in Newport News in 2020.
A judge on Friday sentenced Crystal Albritton to life in prison for her role in the death of 17-year-old Granby High School student Asia Cowell. Albritton was also serving a three-year sentence for a firearms charge related to the incident, and those sentences will run consecutively.
An investigation revealed that Asia was murdered to prevent her from coming forward as a victim of her own rape allegation.
Albritton is one of three people charged with first-degree murder in Asia's death, including her husband, Devin Albritton, and Daza Fester, the sister of the man Asia was set to testify against.
On September 7, 2020, Asia was lured to Albritton's home under the pretense of being booked as a hairdresser. Asia was dropped off by her aunt, Tatina Cowell, but was never contacted to be picked up.
Albritton, with the help of Fester and her husband, held Asia captive and took her to Newport News, where she was eventually shot to death.
“I know she's praising and rejoicing in heaven and I know she's with us to this day,” Tatina Cowell said after the verdict.
Charges against the man accused of raping the girl were eventually dropped and no charges were filed.
Testifying in court, Tatina Cowell called her niece “such a bright light.”
Asia's death still leaves her family in deep sorrow, but they now feel justice has been served.
“She had a huge heart,” Asia's aunt said on the witness stand. “She cared about people in ways that people our age sometimes don't realize.”
RELATED: Update: Man and two women charged with murder of Norfolk teen Asia Cowell
Albritton previously pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and acknowledged helping to plan the kidnapping to prevent Asia from testifying.
Her lawyers argued that her guilty plea, which spared her family having to endure a trial, provided reason to believe Albritton had admitted responsibility and accepted her involvement in the crimes and should have been considered as reason not to impose a life sentence.
Prosecutors countered that Albritton carried out the kidnapping and shooting at the time, showing she wasn't responsible for her actions.
Federal prosecutors also argued that it was Albritton who actually pulled the trigger, rejecting the defense's argument that this argument was based solely on Feaster's version of events.
“There's a sense that she has some kind of power over us because she hurts us. She doesn't deserve to have this burden on us,” Cowell said. “Asia wouldn't want to have that burden on us,” she added.
Albritton's husband is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 6 for his role in Asia Cowell's murder and has already pleaded guilty.
“But it still doesn't fill the void left by her absence,” her brother, Adarius Cowell, said.
“This isn't going to bring her back so anyone who has brothers or sisters needs to cherish the time they have with them because they might not see and realize what they have,” he said.
RELATED: Rape charges 'not filed' against man who allegedly raped Asia Cowell
