Man Sentenced To Life For Strangling Girlfriend In Essex

ESSEX, MD - A man who killed his estranged girlfriend at her Essex home was sentenced to life in prison Monday in Baltimore County Circuit Court.

Terrence Jenkins, 50, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in March. On Monday, Judge Ruth Jakubowski ordered him to serve life in prison with all but 60 years of the sentence suspended.

Jenkins's life sentence came after he admitted to killing his estranged girlfriend, 47-year-old Shelly Fillion, officials said.

Fillion was found deceased at her home in the unit block of Skipjack Court in Essex by a family member on Dec. 14, 2015, according to officials, who said she was killed two days earlier.

Fillion had a number of injuries indicative of strangulation, the Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger said in a statement.

The day that Jenkins was arrested - Dec. 17, 2015 - he admitted to killing another woman as well, authorities said.

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Baltimore County police had been monitoring Jenkins in connection with the death of Fillion when officials said they saw him go into a residence in the 3600 block of Pulaski Highway in Baltimore on Dec. 17, 2015.

About 30 minutes later, he left the residence, where officers said they arrested him as he was approaching a Ford Explorer that belonged to Fillion.

Once he was in custody they found Gina Kirchner deceased on the floor inside the home, where authorities said she had been strangled with a scarf.

“Clearly an individual that could commit such a heinous act against someone he purported to love has no regard for human life and deserves to spend his life behind bars,” Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby said in a statement earlier this year, after Jenkins pleaded guilty to murder in that case.

Jenkins was convicted of first-degree assault in 2010 in a case involving strangulation and domestic violence, she noted.

Photo of Terrence Jenkins courtesy of Baltimore County Police Department.