A Fairfax County, Virginia, man who pleaded guilty in the 2021 murder of his landlord was sentenced to 25 years in prison Friday.
Brian Sayrs, 28, received a total sentence of 40 years, with 17 years suspended for second degree murder and two years for concealing a dead body for the murder of 72-year-old Emily Lu.
Lu was last seen on Jun. 3, 2021. She was reported missing after she didn’t show up for work.
Detectives determined Sayrs lied to them about his where he was in the days after Lu’s disappearance and became the prime suspect.
Sayrs took police to her body 51 days after she went missing and confessed to her murder. Lu’s body was located in a wooded area near Dudley Drive and Laurel Crest Drive in Lorton, about two miles from her home, where Sayrs lived.
In August, Sayrs pleaded guilty to her murder in court.
“We may never know all the details of this tragic incident,” Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano said in a statement, following sentencing. But “we do know that today, the person responsible for Ms. Lu’s murder will finally be held accountable.”
“My heart breaks for Ms. Lu’s family, and for the members of our community who tirelessly searched for Ms. Lu for nearly two months,” said Descano.
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