Januari Williams
Januari Williams on Thursday morning entered a guilty plea to second-degree murder in the slaying of Bethel Guines.
Ms. Williams, 27, also gave still another version of the 69-year-old victim died. This time she said she shot him after he pulled a gun on her and hit her several times.
Prosecutors said she gave several prior versions, including one in which she said she and another man planned to rob the victim.
She will serve a 20-year prison term with parole consideration after serving 85 percent.
She was originally charged with first-degree murder and especially aggravated robbery.
Prosecutor Jason Thomas said Ms. Williams had agreed to tell the truth in court about what happened on April 14, 2005.
Ms. Williams said she and Guines had used cocaine together and had sex. She said that day she told him she had to break it off because she had become pregnant by another man.
She said they were driving in his Yukon when he became angry, got out the gun, and hit her. She said, "He told me he was going to kill me."
She said the gun fell off his lap, she retrieved it and shot him.
Ms. Williams said his body slumped to the passenger side. She said when she opened the passenger side door, the body fell out.
She said she threw away the keys to the vehicle as well as the gun.
Ms. Williams said she started to walk home and a man gave her a ride. She said he could not see the blood on her yellow blouse because she had put the victim's coat on. She denied taking his wallet.
She said she changed clothes, then tossed the bloody clothes behind the Golden Gallon on Amnicola Highway.
Prosecutor Thomas said the state's case had been weakened by the fact that Guines was running with the wrong crowd.
A motorist driving in the 800 block of Line Street found Bethel Guines's clothed body around 7 a.m. the next morning. The victim had been shot in the head.
The victim's red SUV was found in the yard of a vacant duplex on Moss Street.
The victim was known by many as a frequent bowler at the Holiday Bowl on Brainerd Road. He delivered food five days a week for the Meals On Wheels program.