(Pittsylvania County, Va.) — Jason Scott Rigney is headed to prison for life for the murder of his former girlfriend.

Judge Stacey Moreau sentenced Rigney to life plus three years for the murder of Heather Matherly.

The 30-year-old died of gunshot wounds to the head in her Gray’s Park Road home in Brosville last September. The mother of three had told family members that she feared for her life in the days leading up to her death. She was shot three times.

In the days leading up to his arrest, Rigney confessed to the crime in a telephone conversation with his sister.

A Chatham jury found the 43-year-old Rigney guilty of murder and firearms charges in March and recommended life for murder, plus the mandatory three years for using a firearm in the homicide.

The sentence was imposed Thursday by Judge Moreau, who called the shooting death a “brutal, brutal crime.”