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St. Paul, Minn.

Man sentenced to prison for killing girlfriend next to their son

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A St. Paul man was sentenced to almost five decades in prison Friday for killing the mother of his child — and for trying to kill her father.

Michelle Marie Ploetz
Michelle Marie Ploetz
Courtesy of Regions Hospital

Timothy Scott Hendricks, 19, told police he started hearing voices and "just snapped" before shooting 20-year-old Michelle Marie Ploetz on April 16, according to charges filed in Ramsey County District Court.

• Earlier: Charges: 19 year-old man kills son's mother, shoots at her father

Prosecutors charged Hendricks with murder in the second degree for Ploetz's death and with attempted murder for shooting at her father. Hendricks pleaded guilty to both charges in August.

Hendricks and Ploetz had been sitting in the back seat of a car with their then-8-month-old son as Ploetz's father, John Ploetz, drove them home from dinner, according to the charges.

The couple had met to discuss custody of their son, and they talked about meeting again the following week.

John Ploetz told police he heard a "pop" come from the back seat of the car on the way home. When he stopped the car, Hendricks started shooting at him and chased him away.

Police later found Michelle Ploetz unconscious in the car next to her son. She died at Regions Hospital two days later.

Hendricks told police that Ploetz yelled at him before the shooting and that he "hears voices in his head and the voices took over," according to the charges against him.

The two started dating in 2010, according to a victim impact statement from Ploetz's mother, Dianne.

"He was at our house almost every day for years," Dianne Ploetz wrote. "That boy was a very different person [than] the man who murdered my daughter and tried to kill my husband."

Ramsey County District Judge Salvador Rosas sentenced Hendricks to a total of 47 years and 10 and a half months in prison.

"The loss for the victim's family, her parents and young son is immeasurable," Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said in a statement after the sentencing.