KANAWHA COUNTY, WV (WOWK)—A woman accused of shooting another woman and hiding her body in a well entered a guilty plea in Kanawha County Circuit Court on Thursday.

Virginia Smith pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, using a firearm in the commission of a felony, and concealment of a body.

The charges stem from the shooting death of Cheyenne Johnson, whose body was found in a well in the Sissonville area Monday, May 3, 2021. Johnson was reported missing in late April 2021, less than a week before her body was found.

The day Johnson’s body was found, Michael Smith, 42, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder after allegedly admitting to her murder and to putting Johnson’s body in the well. Authorities said at the time of Virginia Smith’s arrest a few days later, she and Michael Smith were not related, but were reportedly in an intimate relationship at the time of the homicide.

At the time of Virginia Smith’s arrest, Kanawha County Chief Deputy Greg Young gave a press briefing stating that a juvenile witness interviewed during the investigation allegedly told law enforcement they saw Virginia Smith shoot Johnson.

Virginia Smith faces up to life in prison, and she will be sentenced at 9:00 a.m. on April 10, 2023.