A Vicksburg man was sentenced to life in prison without parole Friday after being arraigned and pleading guilty to capital murder in the death of a teenage girl.

Sharonda L. “Na-Na” Brown was 15 when she was killed by James Lumpkin on May 24.

Lumpkin, 46, had been indicted earlier in the week by the Warren County Grand Jury.

Judge Isadore Patrick sentenced him to the state penitentiary at Parchman.

“It should be noted that this murder was done with the underlying felony, the sexual abuse of a child,” Patrick told the court just before Lumpkin was led away in shackles by sheriff’s deputies.

About 30 members of Sharonda’s family were in the courtroom. Some of them sobbed as Assistant District Attorney Dewey Arthur told the court how Lumpkin took Sharonda to McDonald’s, then drove to a rest stop on Mississippi 3, had sex with her, then strangled her, dumping her body in the grass along Mississippi 433, where it was found three days later.

Lumpkin, who had a previous conviction for manslaughter, was an early suspect in the case, having been the last person with whom Sharonda was seen. He was arrested May 30 in Yazoo County, where Sharonda’s body was found.

Arthur said police had “no less than three” taped confessions from him. He admitted killing her in Warren County, which was the reason he was indicted and arraigned here.

Friday, the judge told Lumpkin that his crimes and the evidence “probably would have gotten you the death penalty,” if the case had gone to trial. It was due to the family’s cooperation that Lumpkin was allowed to plead guilty in order to avoid that.

Brenda Theriot, a victim assistance coordinator with the DA’s office, said the family wanted to avoid years of litigation that can follow a death penalty sentence.

“We’re happy it’s over,” Sharonda’s uncle, Tracy Brown said. “It hope it sends a message to anyone else out there who would do that to a child.”

Just before Patrick read the sentence, he gave family members a chance to speak.

“He hurt me; he destroyed me,” Sandra Brown, Sharonda’s mother said. “I’ll never forgive him for taking Sharonda away from me.”

Alicia Brown, Sharonda’s sister, said, “My sister didn’t deserve to die the way she did. I think justice should be served.” Later, outside the courtroom, Alicia Brown said Sharonda loved to make family members laugh. “She was loved by a lot of people,” she said.

Lumpkin, whose daughter was Sharonda’s half-sister, had been in jail since his arrest.

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Contact Pamela Hitchins at phitchins@vicksburgpost.com.