THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 15, 1995 TAG: 9507150381
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Briefs
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 24 lines
A 30-year-old man pleaded guilty Thursday to the fatal beating of his girlfriend, who died in March.
Russell Whitfield was found guilty of second-degree murder. He will be sentenced on August 26.
Whitfield was charged with the death in early March of Joyce Johnson, 39, who had been in a coma since September 1994 after being beaten by Whitfield. Johnson died in a Richmond hospital.
Whitfield was charged in December with malicious wounding. The charge was upgraded to murder when Johnson died, records show.
KEYWORDS: GUILTY PLEA MURDER by CNB