Aspiring rapper pleads guilty to killing 4 in Va.

Posted September 19, 2010 11:00 pm

FARMVILLE, Va. -- An aspiring rapper who embraced horror-themed lyrics has pleaded guilty to killing four people in central Virginia.

Richard "Sam" McCroskey was sentenced to life in prison Monday as part of his plea agreement.

The defendant from Castro Valley, Calif., showed little emotion during the hearing in Prince Edward County Circuit Court.

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.

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