Trial opens Monday in central Pennsylvania for a man accused of having beaten his girlfriend to death last year.
The York Daily Record reports that 24-year-old Jermaine Taylor could face life in prison if convicted of first-degree murder. York County prosecutors aren't seeking the death penalty in the case.
Police said they were called to a York home in February 2014 and Taylor told them that 34-year-old Billie Jo Bratton had died of a drug overdose. But they said an autopsy indicated that the victim had died of blunt force trauma with a brain hemorrhage.
Authorities allege in court documents that Taylor later told detectives "If I did it, I didn't mean to."
Police said there was a history of domestic violence in the relationship.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
