Teen waives hearing in McGowan killing

A Charlottesville teenager charged with capital murder waived his right to a preliminary hearing this morning.

Michael Stuart Pritchett, 18, and his 22-year-old cousin, William Douglas Gentry, are accused of killing Jayne Warren McGowan during a robbery at her St. Clair Avenue home.

Pritchett's decision to waive his preliminary hearing in Charlottesville General District Court today sends his case to a Feb. 18 grand jury. If he is indicted, the case will then go to Circuit Court for trial.

Coworkers discovered McGowan's body at her home Nov. 9 after she didn't report to work as expected. The University of Virginia graduate had been working on a fundraiser for the AIDS/HIV Services Group.

City police arrested Pritchett and Gentry four days later. According to a search warrant affidavit, Pritchett confessed to police that he and Gentry killed McGowan.

Gentry is also charged with capital murder and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing next month. Both men could face the death penalty if convicted, though prosecutors haven't said whether they will pursue that option.