Man with history of domestic violence sentenced to 50 years
SOUTH BEND — A man accused of stabbing his former girlfriend was sentenced Monday to 30 years for a count of voluntary manslaughter and 20 years for a habitual offender offense, adding up to a 50-year sentence.
Prosecutors say Richard Alexander, 55, went to the house of Catherine Minix, 37, in Sept. 2020 and stabbed her to death after being in an on-and-off again relationship for years and in the midst of a string of domestic violence incidents.
Miranda Barnes, Minix's best friend, gave an emotional testimony at the sentencing, saying she tries to think of the happy times and not about the abuse Minix experienced from Alexander.
"You tormented her," Barnes said, speaking directly to Alexander.
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After originally pleading not guilty, Alexander took a plea deal midway through his murder trial in May. In addition to pleading guilty to manslaughter, Alexander admitted to being a habitual offender with prior felony convictions. Prosecutors subsequently dropped the murder charge.
Speaking at the sentencing, Alexander began to retreat on his guilty plea, stating that he "never killed nobody really."
St. Joseph County Superior Court Judge Stephanie Steele questioned Alexander, citing several instances in his hearing, in which she accepted the plea deal, that he had confirmed he understood the agreements laid out. After a brief break, Alexander came back to the courtroom with his attorney and asked to proceed to sentencing.
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In her ruling, Steele said she had heard remorse only from Alexander's attorney and not from Alexander himself. The judge said she gave more than the advisory sentence — 17½ years for voluntary manslaughter — due to a long criminal history and multiple offenses toward the same victim.
Alexander had been previously charged with six misdemeanors and six felonies. Four of the misdemeanors and three of the felonies were violence-related, the prosecutors said.
Steele also cited significant impact on the victim's family.
"Ms. Minix's children will have to grow up without their mother now," Steele said.
Members of Minix' family also were present but chose to not speak, instead presenting a victim impact statement saying their family "will never find peace, no matter the outcome here today."
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Around 5:20 a.m. the morning of Sept. 13, 2020, police officers found Minix dead in an alley across from her home in a neighbor’s yard. An autopsy revealed she died of a stabbing wound.
Four days later, Alexander was charged with murder, with prosecutors alleging that he told friends and family he was going to prison because he "killed the (expletive)."
A prior Tribune investigation revealed multiple instances when, prosecutors claimed, Alexander had violated no-contact orders. In the eight months leading up to Minix’s death, police had responded to more than a dozen calls to her address. Alexander was arrested twice and charged four times during the time span.
At the time of Minix's death, Alexander was on probation and had a pending no-contact order against him from Minix.
Email Alysa Guffey at aguffey1@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Richard Alexander sentenced after manslaughter plea deal
