A man accused of abducting a young woman before sexually assaulting and murdering her has been sentenced to life in prison.
36-year-old Antonio Cochran abducted 18-year-old Zoe Hastings out of a Walgreens parking lot while she was returning a movie to a Redbox in Lake Highlands, a suburb of Dallas.
According to the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, Cochran jumped in Hastings' minivan while she was returning the movie. Once she reentered the vehicle, Cochran kidnapped her.
Cochran is accused of sexually assaulting the teen before stabbing her to death. Hastings's body was found the next morning with her throat slashed near a creek bed, said officials. A bloody knife recovered at the scene reportedly contained Cochran's DNA.
Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson thanked the jury for the verdict in a statement.
“There are no words that can express our sorrow to the Hastings family for having to endure such a traumatic and tragic loss. We will continue to pray for them and while we cannot bring Zoe back, we hope this outcome will help them heal,” said Johnson. “On behalf of my team who worked on this case, I want to thank the jury for their service. Their sentence ensures that Antonio Cochran will no longer have the opportunity to harm another person again.”
Source: nypost.com
