By STAFF REPORTS
Published: January 4, 2010
Derek Edward Burkhead will serve 10 years in prison for the manslaughter death of his longtime girlfriend, the mother of his 6-year-old son.
Hanover County Circuit Judge J. Overton Harris this afternoon rejected pleas from Burkhead and his lawyer that he receive significant suspended time in a case of accidental shooting that followed a night of drinking.
Harris said this afternoon he was going far beyond the high end of sentencing guidelines calling for a six-month jail term because the jury recommended a 10-year sentence when it convicted Burkhead, now 26, of involuntary manslaughter Oct. 30 last year.
Jennifer Willis, 23, died from a single gunshot wound to the top of her head in the early morning hours of Sept. 3, 2006. Three earlier trials in the case ended in mistrials, including a trial that resulted in a second-degree murder conviction. That verdict was invalidated because the jury inadvertently received documents that were not part of the record.
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