A man who strangled his girlfriend in northwestern Minnesota and was arrested after a law enforcement officer shot him during a standoff in the Twin Cities has been sentenced to more than 22 years in prison and another 13-plus years on supervised release.

Eddie M. Frazier, 51, was sentenced in Polk County District Court last week after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in connection with the death on May 3, 2017, of Tawnja R. Wallace, 48, in the Crookston home they shared. Frazier made what is known as an Alford plea, meaning he does not admit to the killing but acknowledges there is enough evidence to convict him.

With credit for time in jail since his arrest, Frazier will serve roughly 22½ years in prison and the balance of his term on supervised release.

According to the criminal complaint and the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension:

Wallace was found dead about 9 a.m. in their apartment in the 100 block of South Broadway. Her mother told Crookston police that her daughter and Frazier had been arguing a lot recently, and that he hit her a couple of times and locked her in a closet.

Earlier that day, Frazier assaulted Wallace and then went with her to the hospital. Hours later, Wallace called 911 from her home and authorities found her body in the bathtub.

Law enforcement that night found Frazier, formerly of Minneapolis, in Bloomington in a vehicle near 86th Street and S. Oakland Avenue. A standoff ensued, and an agent with the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension shot Frazier in the arm.

Frazier fled in Wallace's car and was arrested in the 8200 block of S. Stevens Avenue after abandoning the vehicle.

Frazier's criminal history in Minnesota includes convictions for attempted kidnapping and domestic assault. His court record also shows a July 2016 order not to have contact with Wallace stemming from a claim he assaulted her in a Bloomington hotel room.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482