Man sentenced to prison for killing ex-girlfriend

A 28-year-old was sentenced to 28 years to life in prison after he pleaded guilty to killing his ex-girlfriend outside a Jack in the Box restaurant almost two years ago.

Kevin Gipson pleaded guilty in December to murder with use of a deadly weapon in the March 25, 2010, death of 22-year-old Brittney Lavoll.

Gipson gunned Lavoll down at the Jack in the Box on Lake Mead Boulevard and Buffalo Drive where she was working .

He shot her with a .25-caliber handgun he had bought for $50 in cash and $50 in weed, authorities said. Gipson told Las Vegas homicide detectives he was upset that Lavoll wouldn't allow him see their two children.

Authorities said Gipson had learned that Lavoll was working that day through a call to one of her co-workers. Early that morning, he hid in the bushes at the restaurant and waited for her to arrive.

Witnesses told police Lavoll screamed for help, but to no avail. She was shot in the head and fell next to her vehicle. Lavoll's family told police that the couple had a sometimes violent relationship and that he had threatened her in the past, according to the arrest report. Family members also said that she had broken up with Gipson and did not have much contact with him.

Gipson was sentenced earlier this month by District Judge David Barker. Lavoll's family, including her mother, Mechele Lavoll, spoke at the sentencing hearing.

Had Gipson gone to trial and been convicted, he could have faced life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Court records show Gipson had a history of felony convictions, including robbery and theft.

Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039.