Eric Jarvis pleads guilty to manslaughter in 2022 death of Kari Petrich inside Hibbing apartment
DULUTH, Minn. – A 47-year-old Hibbing man pleaded guilty Monday in connection to the death of his girlfriend last summer.
The St. Louis County Attorney's office says Eric James Jarvis was charged with first-degree manslaughter in the death of Kari Jo Petrich.
According to the criminal complaint, police were called twice to a Hibbing apartment building on June 27, 2022, where both Jarvis and Petrich were said to be "upset and intoxicated." On the second call, Petrich told police Jarvis hit her in the head. Police said they didn't see any signs of injury, so they left.
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Early the next morning, police returned after Jarvis reported that Petrich was unconscious. Officers found her dead on the living room floor. They said her face was bruised and her body looked like it had been cleaned. Police said Jarvis told officers repeatedly that he was ready to go to jail.
He later told investigators that he didn't know why her face was bruised, and he "didn't know if [he] did it."
Police soon found garbage bags in the apartment complex's dumpster that had bloody wet wipes and a blood-stained bottle inside that matched Petrich's DNA.
Petrich's family told investigators that she had feared for her life while with Jarvis, and had asked her ex-husband for help.
Jarvis will be sentenced on Sept. 14, 2023, when he is expected to receive an 8.5-year prison sentence.
NOTE: The video above is from July 3, 2022.
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