Man sentenced to life in prison for shooting ex-girlfriend outside Food Lion in Henderson – WRAL News

HENDERSON, N.C. — A man who admitted to murdering his ex-girlfriend in 2017 outside a Food Lion in Henderson has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Gay was taken to Maria Parham Health and later transported to Duke Medical Center, where she died as a result of her injuries.

Hargrove was initially charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, but that charge was upgraded to murder after Gay succumbed to her injuries.

The Daily Dispatch in Henderson reports Hargrove admitted to first-degree murder in court but accepted a plea agreement last week that took death penalty off the table. The other punishment for first-degree murder is life in prison.

According to The Daily Dispatch, Gay’s family appeared in court Monday.

Capt. Joseph Ferguson with Henderson Police Department said Gay worked at the Food Lion as a cashier and was outside on her lunch break when she was shot.

Multiple witnesses said Hargrove shot Gay, and surveillance video captured the shooting.

The Daily Dispatch reports Hargrove and Gay were estranged but provided no other details on their relationship or the motive behind the shooting.