Richardson man sentenced to 70 years in prison for stabbing girlfriend to death

A Richardson man has been sentenced to 70 years in prison for fatally stabbing his girlfriend last year.

Jeffrey Lee Patterson, 47, was found guilty of murder Monday in a Dallas County courtroom. A jury handed down his sentence later in the day, court records show.

Authorities were called the morning of April 14, 2019, to Patterson’s home in the 400 block of Rustic Circle, where they found 48-year-old Ladonna Garcia suffering from a stab wound to her chest. She was taken to Medical City Dallas Hospital, where she died.

Patterson told police that the pair had been using methamphetamine the previous night but provided contradictory stories about what had taken place, WFAA-TV (Channel 8) reported at the time.