The Bonney Lake man who pleaded guilty to killing his girlfriend and attempting to burn her body will spend the next 20 years in jail.

Mthulisi Ndlovu, 39, was sentenced to 248 months in prison on Friday after pleading guilty to the second degree murder with a deadly weapon of Mary Mushapaidzi, his girlfriend and mother of his children.

Mushapadzai was killed Oct. 9 following an argument over dirty dishes. Ndlovu struck her with a garden shear and then attempted to burn her body in the garage before calling police and telling them she had not returned from am early morning run.

According to Bonney Lake Detective Brian Byerly, who attended the sentencing hearing, the judge in the case did not seem to believe a psychological report in which Ndlovu was characterized as the victim of ongoing intimate partner violence from Mushapadizi.

Byerly also said several family members and friends spoke at the sentencing hearing contradicting the report, which documented years of alleged psychological, physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of Mushapiadzi.

Byerly said the judge called the report “unsupported” and said it was unacceptable that Mushapaidzi was killed with their two children, ages 8 and 2, in the house, despite any atrocities Ndlovu may have witnessed or experienced in the couple’s homeland of Zimbabwe.

The judge also issued a no-contact order preventing Ndlovu from seeing the children.

Byerly said the family seemed pleased with the verdict.