A man has admitted to shooting and killing a woman while they were gathered for a birthday party at his New Jersey home.
The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office said Monday that Darren Winningham pleaded guilty last week to first-degree aggravated manslaughter in the shooting death of Nikita Cross in April 2016.
Winningham, 44, will be sentenced to 10 years in prison at sentencing next month.
Law enforcement officials said several people were gathered at Winningham's house for a birthday party on April 23, 2016 when the shooting occurred. Cross, 35, died a short time later at the hospital.
Stockton University awarded the Galloway Township woman a posthumous bachelor's degree in social work. She would have been the first member of her family to graduate from college, her brother said.
Winningham has remained behind bars since the killing.
