A North Carolina man who won $10 million from a scratch-off lottery ticket in August 2017 has been sentenced to life in prison after he was convicted of first-degree murder in connection with the murder of his ex-girlfriend.
54-year-old Michael Hill was taken into custody in Southport, North Carolina on November 23, 2020, three years after he bought his winning ticket from a local convenience store.
His girlfriend, 23-year-old Keonna Graham, was reported missing by her mother in July 2020. Her body was found in a hotel where “surveillance footage from the hotel showed Hill as the only individual in the hotel room with Graham” during the time she had been fatally shot.
The suspect confessed to shooting Graham after he found out she was texting other men. The two were in a romantic relationship for a year and a half after he won his lottery ticket and had reportedly been through prior domestic incidents.
“Hill was later arrested by law enforcement in Southport, North Carolina, and confessed to shooting Graham after she had been texting other men while at the hotel,” prosecutors said in the filing.
In May, a jury found Hill guilty of first-degree murder and ordered him to serve life in prison without the possibility of parole in relation to the death of his ex-girlfriend.
“The District Attorney’s Office would like to thank our local law enforcement agencies for their collaborative efforts in the investigation of Graham’s death,” said Assistant District Attorney Shirley Smircic in the prosecutors’ news release. “The hard work of these officers ensured a just result in this case.”
According to reports, Hill was a nuclear power plant worker back when he won the $10 million in 2017. He had a choice of receiving a $10 million annuity that has 20 payments of $500,000 a year, or a lump sum of $6 million. He eventually decided on cashing out $4,159,101 after required state and federal tax withholdings.
The suspect was previously described as a “nice guy.” After winning the lottery, he reportedly came back and gave $2,000 to the store employee who sold him the winning scratch-off ticket.
