Woman Pleads Guilty to Fatally Stabbing 61-Year-Old Man

A Springfield, Massachusetts, woman originally charged with murder in the fatal stabbing of a 61-year-old man has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge and been sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.

Diomaris Valentin claimed self-defense in the March 2014 killing of Craig Sheridan, who was found dead in his apartment lying in a pool of clotted blood and holding a chair in his left hand.

Prosecutors say they did not question that the killing was made in self-defense, but claim the 30-year-old mother of five used excessive force.

Valentin's attorney says she and Sheridan had been smoking crack when he became violent and attacked her with a knife.

The Republican reports that Valentin pleaded guilty Thursday to voluntary manslaughter under a plea deal in Hampden Superior Court.