CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Kanawha County woman convicted of first-degree murder could spend the rest of her life behind bars following her sentencing.
Virginia Smith received a life sentence with mercy from Kanawha County Circuit Judge Kenneth Ballard on Tuesday. She pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the 2021 death of Cheyenne Johnson, in addition to two other charges.
Smith, who admitted to shooting Johnson in the head and then dumping her body in a well with co-defendant Michael Smith, will serve sentences for the concealment of a deceased human body and use of a firearm during the commission of a felony consecutive to the life sentence.
The sentence of life with mercy means Smith will one day be eligible for parole, a condition of her plea agreement. Before reading her sentence, Judge Ballard stated that while he was legally compelled to show Smith mercy, he did not feel she deserved it.
“I think the state was about as generous as anyone could possibly be in giving mercy. Quite honestly, I don’t believe that you’re entitled to it,” he said.
During the proceedings, Virginia Smith addressed Johnson’s family and friends assembled in the courtroom. In a statement lasting less than one minute, she apologized for her actions and said she was under the influence of drugs at the time of the murder.
“There’s no ‘I’m sorry’ that can fix this. I can’t change what I’ve done. I cannot fix the outcome of this, but I do hope one day you all can have some peace in your heart that I am sorry for what happened,” she said.
Two letters were read in court on behalf of the state, one by Johnson’s friend Jennifer McCafferty and another written by her father, Jess Johnson. In her statement, McCafferty addressed Smith directly and said she hopes Smith never forgets the life she took.
“I will carry Cheyenne with me for the rest of my life, and I hope that you will too. I hope you are haunted by the truth of what you did, by the face of the woman whose life you ended, and by the voices of everyone who loved her,” she said.
Michael Smith was convicted of second-degree murder, in addition to several other charges, earlier this year and is also set to be sentenced by Judge Ballard.