MIAMI (AP) — A Miami man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for killing his girlfriend by setting her on fire.
The Miami Herald reports that 49-year-old Jesus Alvarez was sentenced Monday after pleading guilty to murder as part of a deal with prosecutors.
Authorities say Alvarez beat Margarita Blanco at a Northwest Miami-Dade mobile home in 2011 before dousing her with gasoline and burning her.
“To tell you the truth, I didn’t mean to do this,” Alvarez said in court.
“Mr. Alvarez, when you put gasoline on someone and you light a match, it’s generally not a good outcome,” Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Ellen Sue Venzer responded.
Alvarez said in court that he had been on drugs and caught Blanco cheating on him.
“Sir, you lit her on fire!” Venzer said.
A defense attorney added that Alvarez eventually tried to put the fire out, burning his own hands in the process.
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