PLAINWELL, MI   (WKZO) -- A Plainwell man who murdered his girlfriend has gotten the next closest thing to life in prison.

Their neighbors thought they were the perfect couple until the day when Amy Hartman was found strangled in her bedroom in Plainwell and Jeffrey Witt was arrested last April. 

Yesterday, as part of a plea agreement, Witt pled guilty to 2^nd degree murder and was given 31 to 50 years in Prison.   In a courtroom in Allegan, the 45-year-old read a statement at sentencing, apologizing to Hartman’s family, saying that his life was falling apart at the time and he didn’t intend to kill her.  

In exchange for the plea, open and felony murder charges were dropped.