HANOVER COUNTY, Va. – A Mechanicsville woman was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison, plus 13 years for fatally shooting a woman in the parking lot of the Ashland Walmart.
In September, Brittany Wiggins was found guilty of all charges against her in the February 2017 murder of 25-year-old Ashley Fricke.
Wiggins was sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder, three years for use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and five years for shooting a firearm from a vehicle and malicious shooting.
The life, plus 13 years sentence was handed down by a Hanover judge Wednesday, followed the recommendation of a Hanover jury earlier this year.
Investigators said Wiggins and Fricke did not know each other prior to the violent night in February 2017. In the days after the shooting, sources told CBS 6 News the fatal encounter may have stemmed from road rage.
Brittany Wiggins (left) and Ashley Fricke
During previous hearings, Wiggins attorneys argued she never intended to shoot Fricke. They said she meant to fire a warning shot in the Walmart parking lot to scare off two men she claimed were harassing her for being a lesbian.
The bullet fired by Wiggins struck and killed Fricke.
The 25-year-old shooting victim worked at Lakeside Primary Care and the Holiday Inn near Walmart. She was working toward earning a degree as medical assistant, according to family friends.
