Charlie Pittman, a former Union student, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and tampering with evidence this morning at Madison County Circuit Court.
Pittman admitted he shot and killed his fiancée Olivia Greenlee in her parked car behind Luther Hall on campus with a 9mm handgun Feb. 11, 2014. Police said Pittman tried to make the death look like a suicide, but evidence suggested otherwise.
Judge Roy Morgan sentenced Pittman to 40 years in prison for second-degree murder and six years for tampering with evidence, to be served concurrently. According to George Googe, public defender, Pittman will be eligible, based on behavior, to have up to 15 percent of the 40-year sentence reduced.
Pittman will not be allowed work release and cannot contact witnesses or the Greenlee family, according to the plea agreement.
Originally charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence, the case was set to go to trial in November.
Pittman, from Milan, was a senior Christian ministries major at the time, while Greenlee was a senior music education major for Dyersburg.
