The Hays Daily News

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Wichita man sentenced in girlfriend's death

Published on -1/4/2013, 8:29 AM

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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) -- A Wichita man who stabbed his girlfriend to death in a store parking lot was sentenced to more than 24 years in prison.

Forty-year-old Eric Avila was sentenced Thursday for killing 35-year-old Alina Burkman at a south Wichita Kmart. He pleaded no contest in November to second-degree murder and kidnapping in the March 8 death.

Wichita police said Avila and Burkman fought after being evicted from a nearby hotel.

Police say Avila suffered stab wounds to the chest and abdomen, but the wounds were apparently self-inflicted.

The Wichita Eagle reports (http://bit.ly/UmYWGE ) Avila's attorney said the two loved each other but were both addicted to drugs.

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