Calvin Shane Myers pleaded guilty Tuesday to stabbing to death his pregnant girlfriend in December 1994. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
Myers, 22, originally was charged with two counts of capital murder for the slaying of Irene Christensen and the 4-month-old fetus she was carrying.Snowmobilers discovered the snow-covered body a week before Christmas on the shore of Rockport Reservoir. Christensen had been stabbed repeatedly in the neck and chest and her throat was slashed. She was pregnant with the couple's child.
Third District Judge Pat Brian handed down the sentence as part of a plea agreement in which Myers pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated murder. In exchange, an identical charge related to the fetus was dropped.
In addition to the life sentence, the judge fined Myers $10,000. Defense attorney Stephen McCaughey said the plea agreement was negotiated with an eye to the possible death sentence if his client went to trial.
"We decided rather than go to trial and risk death, it's better to enter a plea and get a guaranteed sentence. This way he will get out of prison some day."
The plea agreement came after 3rd Circuit Judge Roger Livingston bound Myers over for trial on two counts of capital murder following a preliminary hearing.
McCaughey had argued that Myers should not face a murder charge for the death of the fetus. He cited Roe vs. Wade in saying a 4-month-old fetus is not considered a human under the law.