Des Moines woman who killed boyfriend sentenced to 20 years

A Des Moines woman who shot and killed her boyfriend will spend up to 20 years in prison after reaching a plea deal with prosecutors.

Pamela Bullington, 58, was sentenced Nov. 9 after pleading guilty to charges of voluntary manslaughter and intimidation with a dangerous weapon in the December 2014 death of Jack Duane Dennis.

Bullington shot Dennis, 69, once in the head inside the east Des Moines home they shared before calling police to report the killing, according to police. Bullington told police that Dennis was abusive, and police reports showed that he had once held a gun to her head and threatened to burn down her family members' homes.

However, police believed the killing was intentional based on the condition of the home and the placement of Dennis' body, Des Moines police Sgt. Jason Halifax said at the time. Court records show that Bullington's court-appointed attorney planned to argue the shooting was justified to defend her against a first-degree murder charge.

The plea agreement allowed Bullington to avoid a trial and the mandatory life-in-prison sentence she would have been given if convicted of that original charge. Additionally, there are no mandatory minimums attached to the prison sentence, meaning Bullington will be eligible for review by the Iowa Board of Parole, said Polk County Attorney John Sarcone.

Bullington's daughter, Theresa Maher, told The Des Moines Register in June that her mother suffered from a lifelong addiction to drugs and alcohol.

"I can't remember a time when my mom wasn't addicted to something," Maher said.

Maher said that her mother called her three times on the night she shot Dennis, including one call where she reported that Dennis had tried to suffocate her with a pillow. Bullington had tried to leave Dennis in the past, but she relied on him to supply her with drugs and alcohol, Maher said.

Bullington was highlighted in the Reader's Watchdog column in June after the for-profit company that oversees health care at the Polk County Jail denied her a recommended hysterectomy. The surgery was recommended after a painful prolapse in her vaginal wall that Bullington's attorney argued would leave her physically unable to stand trial.

A district court judge ultimately decided that Bullington was not entitled to the surgery and denied her defense attorney's request seeking an opinion from an independent medical expert.