LANCASTER, S.C. — A South Carolina judge sentenced a man to spend 40 years in prison for murdering a woman in October 2021.
Curtis Townsend, 24, appeared in court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to the shooting death of Takeisha Massey.
Police say Townsend shot and killed Massey after an argument on Oct. 9, 2021 on Caroline Court near Williams Estate Drive in Lancaster.
Witnesses told police that Townsend was the one who shot Massey. He was found minutes later hiding in a trash can, police said at the time. He was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.
Townsend initially pleaded not guilty. The trial for his case began on Monday but Townsend decided to plead guilty on Tuesday to the murder charge. The weapon possession charge was dropped, according to court records.
Townsend was sentenced to spend 40 years in a South Carolina Department of Corrections prison.
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