Student who strangled lover for saying she was an ‘experiment’ given 45 years in prison
A student has been sentenced to 45 years in prison for strangling her friend and lover because she said she was just “experimenting” with her sexuality after having sex with her.
Jessica Michelle Ewing, 24, a former student at Virginia Tech, said she had a “date night” with the victim, Samanata Shrestha, 21, before the strangling took place.
Ewing said she was initially disappointed when Shrestha wore sweat pants on the night, even though she wore a dress and carried whipped cream over to the victim’s apartment.
The pair drank the wine and had sex, and later Ewing said she made a “poor teasing comment”, and called Shrestha a “spoiled bitch”.
After the victim told Ewing that she was “experimenting” with her sexuality, the pair fought, and Shrestha was strangled by Ewing.
Ewing put Shrestha in a choke-hold, but the prosecution noted that she also suffered blunt-force trauma to her head, arms and legs during the fight.
“I loved Sam – I couldn’t believe she would say that I was some experiment to her,” Ewing said. “It hit me where I was most hurt.”
Shrestha’s body was found in her car by police three days after her death, and Ewing was arrested the same day.
Writing in her journal of the incident, Ewing said she might burn Shrestha’s body. She wrote: “What the hell is my future going to be? an eternity in prison? Death penalty — off on insanity, mental what the f–k have you done for that god d–n girl.”
Ewing previously entered an Alford plea to the first-degree murder of Shrestha. The Alford plea meant she did not admit guilt, but conceded that the prosecution had enough evidence to prove her guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Judge Robert Turk actually sentenced Ewing to 80 years in prison, but said she must serve 45 years before her sentence is suspended – she will the remain on probation for 20 years.
