Michael Slager, the man charged with burning and killing his ex-girlfriend, will spend the rest of his life in prison after pleading guilty Thursday at a hearing in a downtown Columbus courtroom.
Slager faced trial on charges of aggravated murder in the death of Judy Malinowski. Authorities say Slager doused his ex-girlfriend with gasoline and set her on fire in 2015. The mother of two never left the hospital and died from her injuries in June 2017.
Prosecutors reached an agreement with Slager avoiding the death penalty in favor of a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Jury selection was set to begin on Friday.
Because of the case, state lawmakers passed a bill known as "Judy’s Law." It imposes an additional six years in prison on attackers who intentionally disfigure their victims by using accelerants to set them on fire. Kasich signed the bill into law in September.
