SYLVA, N.C. (AP) - A former Western Carolina University student has pleaded guilty in the killing a fellow student in a botched drug deal.
News outlets report 21-year-old Aja Makalo and co-defendant 19-year-old Zavion Southerland were accused of fatally shooting Jacob Ray in 2017 after arranging to buy marijuana from him. Ray was found near a university welcome sign.
Makalo previously argued she’d acted in self-defense, but abandoned the claim Wednesday. Superior Court Judge Brad Letts accepted a plea agreement and sentenced her to up to 25 years for second-degree murder, kidnapping and robbery.
Makalo has said Ray pulled a gun and tried to rob her and Southerland, causing Southerland to shoot Ray. But prosecutors say the two held Ray against his will and shot him during a struggle.
Southerland’s case is ongoing.
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