Aspiring Rapper Pleads Guilty to Killing 4 in Virginia
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An aspiring rapper who embraced horror-themed lyrics has pleaded guilty to killing four people in central Virginia.
In a plea agreement, Richard "Sam" McCroskey was sentenced to life in prison Monday.
The defendant from Castro Valley, Calif., showed little emotion during the hearing in Prince Edward County Circuit Court.
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McCroskey pleaded guilty to killing his girlfriend, 16-year-old Emma Niederbrock; her parents, Presbyterian minister Mark Niederbrock and Longwood University professor Debra Kelley; and Emma's 18-year-old friend, Melanie Wells of Inwood, W.Va.
A prosecutor revealed that the women were bludgeoned with a wood-splitting tool while they slept on Sept. 18, 2009. Mark Niederbrock was killed with the tool when he came to check on them.