Updated

An aspiring rapper who embraced horror-themed lyrics has pleaded guilty to killing four people in central Virginia.

In a plea agreement, Richard "Sam" McCroskey was sentenced to life in prison Monday.

The defendant from Castro Valley, Calif., showed little emotion during the hearing in Prince Edward County Circuit Court.

McCroskey pleaded guilty to killing his girlfriend, 16-year-old Emma Niederbrock; her parents, Presbyterian minister Mark Niederbrock and Longwood University professor Debra Kelley; and Emma's 18-year-old friend, Melanie Wells of Inwood, W.Va.

A prosecutor revealed that the women were bludgeoned with a wood-splitting tool while they slept on Sept. 18, 2009. Mark Niederbrock was killed with the tool when he came to check on them.