HASTINGS, Minn. — Editor's note: The video above first aired June 22, 2021.
A 33-year-old Richfield man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for the shooting death of a former girlfriend.
Prosecutors in Dakota County say Atravius Joseph Weeks was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of first and second-degree murder in the death of 29-year-old Cortney Grace Henry.
Henry was found dead outside a daycare facility in Lakeville in June of 2021, after having been shot multiple times. Police encountered Weeks after a 911 call from another former girlfriend in Belle Plaine, who told dispatchers that he was pounding on the outside walls of her apartment building and trying to gain entry.
When officers responded they were able to contact Weeks by phone, and he agreed to return to the apartment complex. He was carrying a weapon and bleeding from what Weeks told them was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. While interviewing him, police say Weeks told them "I just killed my best friend." He reportedly named Cortney Henry and told officers where they could find her.
A Dakota County jury deliberated just three hours before delivering guilty verdicts on both murder counts. Weeks was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole immediately afterwards.
"I wish to thank the jury for its verdicts ensuring Mr. Weeks will be held accountable for his heinous act," said Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena in a released statement. "My deepest sympathy is extended to the family and friends of Ms. Henry for their great loss.”
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