YANKTON, S.D. (AP) - A Yankton man who admitted shooting and killing his girlfriend has been sentenced to serve 100 years in prison.
Thirty-year-old Nicholas Hines pleaded guilty in March to first-degree manslaughter in the April 2011 killing of 25-year-old Brianna Marie Knoll. He acknowledged in court that he fired the gun but said it discharged accidentally.
Hines will be eligible for parole in about 50 years, when he will be 78 years old.
Thursday's sentencing hearing lasted more than four hours. Some witnesses described Hines as a gentle, generous man who suffers from bipolar disorder and alcoholism, while others said he was a selfish, manipulative and jealous boyfriend who killed the woman who cared for him.
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AP-WF-06-08-12 1151GMT
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