Man pleads guilty to killing roommate in Hickory

NEWTON, NC (AP) — A man has pleaded guilty to killing his roommate in Hickory nearly three years ago.

The Hickory Daily Record reported 30-year-old Jonathan Brown pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Wednesday and was sentenced to between 14 and 17 years in prison.

Assistant District Attorney Michael Van Buren says Brown and 32-year-old Lee Hill Bryson were at a friend’s apartment in Hickory in 2009 when Bryson was shot and killed.

Van Buren says Brown was upset after an argument and told prosecutors that Bryson had threatened Brown’s life.

Brown disposed of Bryson’s body in a shallow grave in some woods in Burke County.

Brown’s attorney says her client is sorry for what happened.

Brown turned himself in to police shortly after Bryson’s family reported him missing.

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