Judge Sentences Woman to 10 Years for Killing Boyfriend

After pleading guilty to stabbing her boyfriend to death last year, a Glen Burnie woman was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison, according to the Maryland Gazette.

Phyllis Amonica, 39, of the unit block of 5th Avenue in Ferndale, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in a plea agreement, with the prosecution dropping the more serious charges of first- and second-degree murder, according to the Gazette. She is eligible for parole after five years.

The Gazette reported Amonica had cocaine in her system and a blood alcohol content of .13 two hours after the August 2011 incident.

, officers were called to the unit block of 5th Avenue, near the intersection of Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard in Ferndale, at about 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 9, 2011, for a reported domestic dispute.

Once on the scene, officers found James Gray Pfaff Jr., 47, suffering from an apparent stab wound to his upper torso. They also found Amonica suffering from minor cuts, police said. Both were taken to the Shock Trauma Center where Pfaff later died from his injuries.

Police said Pfaff and Amonica were arguing behind the home where they lived together and the argument escalated and became physical.