Man who won $10 million on scratch-off lottery ticket sentenced to life in prison

A judge sentenced a North Carolina man — and former $10 million scratch-off lottery ticket winner — to life in prison after he was convicted of first-degree murder in connection with the slaying of his ex-girlfriend.

What are the details?

Authorities said that Michael Todd Hill, 54, bought his winning ticket in 2017. Just three years later, his luck apparently ran out and he was accused of murdering his partner — 23-year-old Keonna Graham — while the two stayed in an area hotel.

Graham, police said, was found dead as a result of a gunshot wound to the back of her head.

According to the News & Observer, prosecutors said that “surveillance footage from the hotel showed Hill as the only individual in the hotel room with Graham” during the time she had been fatally shot.

“Hill was later arrested by law enforcement in Southport, North Carolina, and confessed to shooting Graham after she had been texting other men while at the hotel,” prosecutors added in their filing.

Following Graham's murder, police arrested Hill and charged him with murder. In May, a jury found Hill guilty of first-degree murder and ordered him to serve life in prison without the possibility of parole in connection to the woman's death.

“The District Attorney’s Office would like to thank our local law enforcement agencies for their collaborative efforts in the investigation of Graham’s death,” Assistant District Attorney Shirley Smircic said in the prosecutors’ news release, which was shared by the outlet. “The hard work of these officers ensured a just result in this case.”

According to a report from WECT-TV, Hill was previously described as a nice guy. After winning the lottery, he was said to come back and give $2,000 to the store employee who sold him the winning scratch-off ticket.