A Cobb County woman pleaded guilty to killing a 21-year-old Kennesaw University Student Tuesday, just before lawyers started choosing jurors for her murder trial.

Police said road rage prompted Sparkles Lindsey, 22, to shoot Kimberly Kilgore, 21, to death.

Kilgore’s family agreed to a plea deal, sentencing Lindsey to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 30 years to avoid re-living Kilgore’s death in court.

“They were very gracious in this case,” District Attorney Vic Reynolds told Channel 2’s Ross Cavitt. “They’re kind, decent, gracious kind of people and consented to this plea and were in favor of it, so we’re glad to wrap this case up for them.”

Kilgore’s mother told the judge the sentence would not bring closure.

“She was very close to her sisters. I homeschooled her until middle school so we were just a close family, and without her, life isn’t be the same,” said Rebecca Jones Kilgore.

Police say Lindsey fatally shot Kilgore in October 2013 at the Shiloh Green Apartments off Shiloh Road in Kennesaw as friends of both women watched. The shooting happened after an altercation between the two groups that investigators say started on the road.

A violent ex-con has been charged with multiple counts in the road rage shooting death of a 21-year-old female Georgia college student.

Sparkles Lindsay, 22, followed Kimberly Kilgore, 21, into her gated apartment complex last year and shot her to death while her best friend sat in the passenger seat and watched in horror, police say.

Ms Lindsay faces a charge of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm during commission of a felony, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The 22-year-old and her friends reportedly had a heated altercation with Ms Kilgore and friend Shannon Stone around 2am Oct 11 just outside the Kennesaw apartment complex where Ms Kilgore lived, sources told the paper.

Despite the complex being gated, Ms Lindsay drove into the parking lot, and escalated the incident into a physical altercation. The violent woman then pulled out a gun and fired multiple shots at Ms Kilgore, police told multiple local media outlets.

Ms Stone helplessly watched her best friend get gunned down.

‘I was in the passenger seat and she was looking right at me when it happened. I was the last sight she saw before her life was taken, and I couldn’t stop it,’ the grieving friend told WSB.

Ms Lindsay and her friends then sped off into the night while an ambulance raced to try to save Ms Kilgore’s life. The Kennesaw State University student died later that night after being taken off life support.

The popular girl’s friends struggled to deal with her sudden violent death.

‘This girl was my ride or die, I did everything with her, she never separated,’ Ms Stone added. ‘She was always by my side.’

‘She was a beautiful person inside and out, Her personality just lifted everybody up,’ an unnamed friend told WSB.

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