By Jason Geary
THE LEDGER
Published: Friday, January 20, 2012 at 11:21 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, January 20, 2012 at 11:21 p.m.
BARTOW | A Winter Haven man was sentenced Friday to 20 years in prison for fatally shooting his girlfriend and dumping her body in a vacant lot.
Enlarge
Joseph Allen Jr.
Joseph Allen Jr., 66, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder as part of a plea deal.
He was arrested after the body of his girlfriend, Michelle Nicole Monroe, was found Aug. 13 in a shallow grave at a lot on 115 Ave. V N.W.
Autopsy results show the 36-year-old Winter Haven woman had been shot twice in the head, once in the left cheek and another at the base of the skull.
Allen and Monroe had lived together for about three years and were known to have a "turbulent" relationship, an arrest report states.
The couple appeared to be getting back together, and one witness said Allen wanted Monroe to once again live with him, the report states.
Witnesses told investigators that a few days prior to Monroe's body being discovered that they saw Allen get into an argument with Monroe because she was speaking to another man, the report states.
A cousin of Allen also told investigators that Allen hid a bag with ammunition and a .32-caliber revolver in the backyard of her home on the day that Monroe's body was discovered in the empty lot, the report states.
Testing later showed the bullets recovered from Monroe's body were fired by the revolver, the report states.
Allen was originally charged with first-degree murder, which carried a maximum punishment of life imprisonment. His trial was scheduled to begin later this month.
Chip Thullbery, a spokesman with the State Attorney's Office in Bartow, said Monroe's family was consulted about the plea negations with Allen.
Prosecutors also took into consideration Allen's advanced age when making an offer, Thullbery said.
[ Jason Geary can be reached at jason.geary@theledger.com or 863-802-7536. ]
No comments:
Post a Comment