Jessica Burlew (Source: Maricopa County Sheriff's Office)
PHOENIX (KPHO/KTVK) -
A Glendale teen accused of strangling a man to death during sex was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Wednesday.
Jessica Burlew, now 18, was charged as an adult with second-degree murder.
The charge stems from the death of her boyfriend, Jason Ash, 43. His body was found in a Glendale apartment in January 2014.
Burlew pleaded guilty to the charge last month. She was 16 at the time of the incident, but prosecutors charged her as an adult.
Burlew reportedly told her mother that she and Ash were playing sex games and he was cut and choked. She said Ash did not say the "safety word," the documents stated. Burlew told police that they would often engage in such acts prior to consensual sex.
Burlew told police that after she strangled Ash, she began cutting him with a razor blade in an attempt to get a response since he appeared to have passed out, according to the court documents. After she didn't get a response, she said she continued to cut him in order to alleviate her stress from the situation.
Burlew's mother said the teen has a history of cutting herself "as a release," according to the court paperwork.
Supporters of Burlew say she was a minor sexually victimized by Ash and the death should have been considered accidental. Sex with a minor is a felony under Arizona law.
PHOENIX (KPHO/KTVK) -
A Glendale teen accused of strangling a man to death during sex was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Wednesday.
Jessica Burlew, now 18, was charged as an adult with second-degree murder.
The charge stems from the death of her boyfriend, Jason Ash, 43. His body was found in a Glendale apartment in January 2014.
Burlew pleaded guilty to the charge last month. She was 16 at the time of the incident, but prosecutors charged her as an adult.
Burlew reportedly told her mother that she and Ash were playing sex games and he was cut and choked. She said Ash did not say the "safety word," the documents stated. Burlew told police that they would often engage in such acts prior to consensual sex.
Burlew told police that after she strangled Ash, she began cutting him with a razor blade in an attempt to get a response since he appeared to have passed out, according to the court documents. After she didn't get a response, she said she continued to cut him in order to alleviate her stress from the situation.
Burlew's mother said the teen has a history of cutting herself "as a release," according to the court paperwork.
Supporters of Burlew say she was a minor sexually victimized by Ash and the death should have been considered accidental. Sex with a minor is a felony under Arizona law.