Carl Alston (Source: Brunswick County Sheriff's Office)
Valerie BurnsBRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WECT) – A man was sentenced Friday to life in prison for the murder of a woman in 2008.
Carl Alston pleaded guilty to first degree murder, kidnapping and rape charges in connection to Valerie Burns's death.
The plea agreement ended what was expected to have been a long trial. Alston was sentenced to life in prison, instead of a potential death penalty.
Alston was charged in 2008 after the body of 49-year-old Valerie Burns was found in the trunk of her car off Goodland Road. An autopsy report showed burns died from smoke inhalation.
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