SPOKANE, Wash. — A Spokane man was sentenced to 50 years in prison following a jury finding him guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend.
Jean Paul Kirkpatrick, 48, was sentenced Tuesday in Spokane County Superior Court to 50 years in prison for the murder of Fatimah Alghazwi.
The incident occurred Feb. 9, 2023, at an apartment in North Spokane.
According to court documents, police had responded to the complex after a social worker reported Kirkpatrick was trying to force his way into Alghazwi’s unit the day before.
The next morning, the social worker planned to accompany Alghazwi to secure the protection order. When Alghazwi didn’t arrive for their appointment, the social worker went to her apartment and found Kirkpatrick at the door. He said Alghazwi was unavailable.
That evening, a daycare employee called 911 when Alghazwi failed to pick up her children. Police found her face down in a pool of blood. She had been beaten, choked, and stabbed 19 times in the neck and shoulder. Surveillance video showed Kirkpatrick entering and leaving the apartment approximately four times that day before forcing his way inside.
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