Worcester man pleads guilty to killing girlfriend

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) -- A Worcester man has pleaded guilty to strangling his girlfriend in an alcohol-fueled rage two years ago.

Jamaal Dottin was sentenced to 8 to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty Thursday in Worcester Superior Court to a charge of manslaughter.

He had originally been charged with murder in connection with the September 2010 death of 24-year-old Kristi LeClair in the apartment the couple shared. Authorities say she had been strangled, bitten and beaten. Prosecutors say neighbors had heard the couple arguing and they had been drinking in the hours before LeClair's death.

Authorities say LeClair had been dead several hours before Dottin called 911.

The Telegram & Gazette reported that the 31-year-old Dottin faced LeClair's father and stepmother in court and apologized.