DAKOTA CITY, NE -
A South Sioux City man learned his fate today for killing his girlfriend and then hiding her body.
John Baker was sentenced to up to 16 years behind bars after pleading no contest to manslaughter and concealing a body.
The family of the victim, Kelly Alspach, was
in court today to hear Baker's last words before sentencing. At the
hearing, his lawyer also painted a picture of what happened the night
Kelly died.
It happened in October 2011. Baker killed
his girlfriend Kelly Alspach, then stuffed her body into a window seat
in the home they shared together in South Sioux City.
At the sentencing Monday, Baker's defense lawyer described him as a confused and troubled man, who loved his girlfriend dearly.
"He's got issues, there's no denying
that...the denial makes sense. He killed the woman he loves. He killed
the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with...that's hard to
accept," said defense attorney Jeffery Pickens.
Pickens described what happened that night:
John and Kelly were drinking at a bar, when Baker developed a migraine.
They argued over leaving and once home, the argument escalated. He says
Kelly tried to hit him with an object; but instead, he grabbed the
object from Kelly and hit her over the head.
When he woke up the next morning, Kelly was dead.
Baker told his lawyer, he planned on getting
into the window seat with Kelly, and killing himself, but never made it
back to the home. Days later, he was found in North Dakota.
Baker got one last chance to speak his peace in court.
He said, "I loved her very much, and I miss her very much, and I'm sorry for what I did."
He was sentenced to a total of 11-16 years in prison for both charges, with the chance of parole.
