A Louisa County jury recommended a life sentence for a man convicted of fatally stabbing his roommate after an argument over money.

In his first jury trial as commonwealth's attorney, Thomas A. Garrett won a first-degree murder conviction and the maximum penalty allowable, his office said in a news release.

Timothy Gray, 48, got into an argument with 47-year-old Janice Adams on Aug. 9 in her home in Mineral.

Gray was a handyman doing work on Adams' home while living with her. The two were not romantically involved, deputy prosecutor Rusty McGuire said, summarizing evidence in the trial in Louisa County Circuit Court.

Gray argued that Adams slapped him, and that he didn't have enough time during the encounter to develop the will to kill that the law requires for a first-degree murder conviction.

However, Gray went into the kitchen to get the knife and assaulted his roommate in another room, Garrett said in court.

"Every single step the defendant took between the site of the altercation and the kitchen where he located the knife he used to kill her was enough time for the formation of intent," Garrett said. Adams was stabbed 38 times.

After a daylong trial that began Tuesday, jurors deliberated for an hour before convicting Gray, then just five minutes to recommend the maximum penalty, including a $100,000 fine.

Judge Timothy Sanner affirmed the jury's sentence, McGuire said.
Contact staff writer Calvin R. Trice at (540) 932-3674 or ctrice@timesdispatch.com.