Heather Bell
RADFORD – A former Radford University student will serve 20 years in prison for the murder of her roommate.
Luisa I. Cutting, from Jeffersonton, VA, was convicted of murder in the second degree Monday after a plea agreement was reached. Cutting killed her friend and roommate, Alexa Cannon in a drug fueled stabbing in their off-campus apartment last January. Radford Commonwealth’s Attorney Chris Rehak said in a statement Monday the plea agreement was reached by working with the victim’s family.
“This case was extraordinarily unusual and the guilty plea today ends criminal proceedings in this tragic and mysterious event,” said Rehak. “It was an honor and privilege to represent the life of Alexa Cannon. I worked with her family, who provided thoughtful input and helped craft the plea agreement terms which reflect a complex balance of facts, trial options and proportionality.”
Rehak said the 20-year active sentence is at the high end of of the sentencing guidelines for murder in the second degree and also spared the victim’s family from going through the pain of a trial. He added the fact that there were drugs involved added an additional component to the case.
“The agreement secured a murder conviction, avoided any appeals and spared Alexa’s family and friends the anguish and anxiety of trial,” Rehak said. ”The Commonwealth also considered the impact and viability of defenses such as insanity, irresistible impulse and voluntary intoxication.”
“Second degree murder appropriately fit our specific facts, reflects the provable criminal intent and achieves justice, he added. “The 20-year active sentence is at the high end of second degree murder sentencing guidelines which recommend 12 years and nine months to 21 years and four months with a midpoint of 17 years and one month.”
