LOUISA COUNTY, Va. – A Virginia man will spend the rest of his life in prison after using his grandmother's car to kill his girlfriend.
On Monday, a Louisa County judge upheld a jury’s recommended sentence of life in prison for a first-degree murder conviction, plus an additional 11 years for two other charges against Gregory Veres.
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In December, a jury convicted him of first-degree murder and hit-and-run while recommending the maximum sentence under the law of life plus 10 years.
On September 22, 2017, Veres began arguing with his girlfriend about a restraining order. She then left and began walking home, according to the facts presented at trial.
Veres drove to find her, using his grandmother's car, drove off the road and hit her going 60 mph.
She was hit so hard that the car’s grill left an imprint on her leg.
In court, Veres testified that what happened was an accident and he was too drunk to know what he was doing.
Two witnesses from the defense refuted Veres' claims.
During arguments presented Monday, Commonwealth’s Attorney Rusty McGuire pointed out to the judge that, contrary to the defendant’s claim that he was out searching for his girlfriend, Veres was, in fact, hunting for her.
"The defendant killed his girlfriend and treated her worse than a dog. He killed her in the middle of the night and left her alone, dying, in the cold and dark on the side of the road,” said McGuire.
While speaking about the sentence, McGuire stressed that while nothing could bring the victim back, justice has been done for her and her family.