VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A 44-year-old man who killed a woman in an apartment on Gourmet Way in Virginia Beach will serve 22 years in prison for the fatal shooting.

Zorobabel Matthan Griggs, 44, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, use of a firearm, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office wrote in a news release.

The circuit court judge sentenced Griggs to 50 years in prison with 28 suspended, leaving 22 to serve.

According to the release, Griggs and Keisa Overby Station were seen on security footage walking up to an apartment on Gourment Way around 9:30 pm. June 10, 2017.

The next morning, Griggs was seen walking down the stairs by himself around 7:23 a.m. with his hand in his pocket trying to hide an item.

Staton was not seen on camera again, and was later found in the apartment with a fatal gunshot wound.

After the homicide, Griggs walked to a 7-Eleven. He had a shirt wrapped around an item in his hand.

Griggs called his mother and then walked to a nearby relative’s house. He asked the relative to drive him to his mother’s house.

There, he told his mother he killed Staton.

Grigg’s mother took him to a church in Norfolk, where the pastor urged his mother to call 911. She did and tried to direct officers to where Staton could be found.

She gave police Griggs’ cell phone number, but he did not answer or hung up several times when dispatchers called him.

Griggs left the area but called a detective with the Virginia Beach Police Department 11 days later and said he’d like to turn himself in.

He said he didn’t want to talk about Staton’s death, but said he threw the firearm off the Campostella Bridge.

Police investigation showed Staton and Griggs went to Chesapeake Pawn and purchased a .40 caliber handgun just weeks before Staton was shot.

Griggs stood away from the counter while Staton purchased the weapon, but she left the counter several times to ask him questions during the purchase.

Cell phone records and Google location services also placed Griggs in the apartment on Gourmet Way during the time of Staton’s murder.