Adding a decade onto what state guidelines called for, a judge sentenced an Iron Range man to a 35-year term for killing his former girlfriend with a shot from a deer rifle as she stood outside an American Legion club after dark with her new boyfriend.
John J. Plevell, 52, was sentenced Monday in St. Louis County District Court after he pleaded guilty to intentional second-degree murder in the Nov. 8, 2015, death of Julie Ann Hildreth outside the club in Aurora.
Judge Gary Pagliaccetti determined that the sentence, longer that what state guidelines recommend, "was warranted because Plevell ambushed his former girlfriend, that the defendant ignored a no-contact order, and that the crime was a shock to the conscience of the community," the county attorney's office said in a statement.
The county attorney's office said that under sentencing guidelines, Plevell was in line for a 25½-year term.
Plevell, of Aurora, was given credit against his sentence for time in jail since his arrest soon after shooting Hildreth, 49, of nearby Babbitt. He'll serve more than 22 years of his term in prison and the balance on supervised release.
Hildreth, who worked as a nurse's aide and later as a personal care attendant, was shot from about 60 feet away as Plevell lie in wait outside the club. The bullet struck her right forearm and entered her chest, an autopsy determined.
Plevell, who admitted his guilt last month and explained that he was jealous, told investigators that he had dated Hildreth for roughly 1½ years until they broke up about three months before the shooting.
"We commend the tremendous courage of Julie's family and friends throughout this case," Assistant County Attorney Michelle Anderson said in a statement that followed sentencing. "Memories of Julie will no longer be associated with John Plevell. Rather, she will be remembered for her strength and smile."
