Killer pleads guilty in death of girlfriend

YOUNGSTOWN -- Edward C. Anderson's jury trial on a murder charge ended abruptly on its third day Wednesday when he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter with a firearm specification.
Anderson, 61, of East Philadelphia Avenue, was charged with the fatal shooting of his girlfriend, Mary M. Thompson, 37, on July 15, 2004, after a domestic dispute in the residence they shared.
Anderson faces six to 13 years in prison when Judge James C. Evans of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court sentences him at 9 a.m. March 30. The prosecution is recommending 13 years.
Had Anderson been convicted of the original murder charge with a gun specification, he would have been facing 18 years to life in prison. Judge Evans said a defendant may enter a guilty plea anytime before a jury renders its verdict.