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    Pavillion woman sentenced for voluntary manslaughter

    (Pavillion, WY) – Pavillion woman Bennilee Strock was sentenced to 15-20 years of imprisonment for voluntary manslaughter on Tuesday, November 30th.

    The hearing was overseen by the Honorable Judge Marvin Tyler.

    Strock was originally charged with murder in the second degree after being accused of killing her husband on Christmas Eve last year.

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    The sentencing comes after Strock entered into a guilty plea agreement back in September, under the filed statute W.S. 6-2-105(a)(i).

    Despite admitting to the murder during inital questioning from law enforcement, Strock had originally pled ‘not guilty’ to the charge, which stemmed from a reported incident where she stabbed husband Jeffrey Strock in the chest following an argument on the evening of December 24th.

    That confession was stricken from evidence by the Court back in June, when it was ruled that:

    • “The Defendant clearly and unambiguously invoked her right to have legal counsel present for further questioning. This was ignored, and further questioning did not immediately cease.”
    • “The State has failed to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the Defendant’s Miranda warnings were given to her prior to any questioning by law enforcement officials”

    Despite the confession being deemed “suppressed and inadmissible as evidence,” the charge still held, with court documents filed on September 30th indicating that “Pursuant to the plea agreement, the Defendant knowingly and voluntarily entered the plea of guilty.”

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    Strock will serve a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 20 years in prison.

    To read all of County 10’s coverage of the case click here.

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