A man pleaded guilty to a lesser murder charge in the stabbing of his roommate in Northampton, Massachusetts, in 2022.
For the death of Jana Abromowitz, Devin Bryden was sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of release on parole after 35 to 40 years, after the plea change hearing in Hampshire Superior Court, prosecutors said Wednesday.
"The decision to resolve this case was made knowing that this brings finality and certainty to an extremely painful, stressful, and ultimately uncertain situation for Jana's family," Northwestern Assistant District Attorney Joseph Webber said in a statement, noting that they believed there was "an exceptionally strong case for first-degree murder," but a trial can be a long ordeal, which could also end with a long series of appeals.
Bryden had been charged with first-degree murder in Abromowitz' July 2022 stabbing death. Police were called to an apartment on Hatfield Street in Northampton after a friend found the 21-year-old woman dead of stab wounds.
Prosecutors have said that Bryden told police that "he had stabbed her in order to take her car because he was going to become homeless soon."
He pleaded not guilty, but changed his plea to guilty on charges of second-degree murder, armed robbery and tampering with evidence.
"Words cannot heal. I hope there is comfort in knowing that the judicial process has come to its conclusion," prosecutors said that Judge Bertha Josephson told the court after Abromowitz' mother spoke.
The case had been scheduled for a possible change of plea in April before Bryden's first appointed attorney was allowed to withdraw from the case.
