Man who killed Virginia college student gets life sentence

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (AP) -- A Fredericksburg man will spend the rest of his life in prison for his role in the 2015 death of a Fairfax County woman who was his University of Mary Washington roommate.

News outlets report that a judge on Tuesday sentenced 31-year-old Steven Vander Briel to life in prison plus an additional 11 years for the slaying of 20-year-old Grace Mann.

Mann was found bound, gagged and strangled in April 2015 in the off-campus house she shared with Vander Briel and two female students.

A jury found Vander Briel guilty on all counts, including first-degree murder in May. The defense had sought an insanity defense for Vander Briel, arguing that he was delusional. Prosecutors said the defendant had killed Mann out of "flash anger."


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