LYNCHBURG, Va. – A man charged in connection to the death of an Appomattox County woman has pleaded guilty.
Felix Jefferson, 23, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in connection to the death of Lisa Henderson on Wednesday morning. The firearm charge carries a mandatory sentence of three years, and he could serve anywhere from four years to 20 years for the second-degree murder charge.
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Henderson was last seen in Appomattox County in April 2018. Her body was found with several gunshot wounds five days later in a field in Campbell County. Authorities say her cell phone and keys were found in the James River in Lynchburg.
Marquie Williams, Henderson’s boyfriend, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in September. Prosecutors said Williams killed Henderson because he believed that she was cheating on him.
Prosecutors said that within an hour of her receiving a call from someone else, they believe Williams planned the shooting and Jefferson helped. Williams reportedly asked everyone to go for a car ride and asked them to leave their phones at home.
Jefferson first testified that Williams pressured him to shoot Lisa when they went into the woods in Campbell County to dig up guns. He testified that he shot at Henderson’s feet, but ballistics proved otherwise. He was originally charged as an accessory, but evidence revealed that he shot Henderson in the torso and head.
Jefferson’s attorney, Dirk Padgett, says Jefferson didn’t go into the woods to kill anyone and claims that Jefferson and Henderson did not know each other.
“If it was not for Jefferson this crime would not have been solved,” Padgett said.
Jefferson’s sentencing date will be decided in January.