A woman who killed her childhood friend in a strip club brawl has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Rinita Linell Lowe, 25, pleaded guilty Monday to first-degree manslaughter for a fatal stabbing that took place at the northeast Portland strip club, Club Skinn, in June 2016, Oregon Live reports.
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The incident occurred on June 15, 2016 after Lowe and 29-year-old Shantina Turner got into an argument outside of the strip club. It is alleged that the two women got into a tussle, with Lowe punching Turner before Lowe pulled a knife from her purse and stabbed the other woman in her neck three times.
Surveillance video showed Turner — who had a violent history, including slashing someone’s face with a knife — choking Lowe before the fatal stabbing.
According to Fox 12 Oregon, Lowe then fled the scene and was later arrested at a nearby store, where the knife used in the stabbing was discovered in the parking lot. She told authorities various accounts of the incident before admitting that she had fatally stabbed Turner
Lowe had originally been charged with murder, which calls for a sentencing of life in prison with a 25-year minimum in Oregon. In December, she pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and unlawful use of a weapon.
During her sentencing Monday, Lowe stated that she had not intended to kill Turner, stating, “I apologize for my actions.”
Along with the 15-year prison sentence, a judge also sentenced Lowe to three years of post-prison supervision.
