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Ciara Williams of Brick previously pleaded guilty on July 2 to reckless manslaughter for the Sept. 29, 2019, stabbing.
She was sentenced on Wednesday by Superior Court Judge Rochelle Gizinski.
Williams drove Dennis Power, 35, of Brick to Ocean Medical Center with a stab wound to his chest and then fled before Brick Township police arrivved, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.
Hospital staff found Power in the vehicle unconscious but breathing, the prosecutor said. Lifesaving measures were taken, but ultimately Power succumbed to his injuries, according to Billhimer.
Williams' Ocean County jail mug shot showed a bruise under her right eye. It was determined that she stabbed him in self-defense, Billhimer said.
“Williams originally faced more significant charges with greater sentencing exposure, but legitimate self-defense claims arose during the course of the investigation which we were compelled to take into account in evaluating this very difficult case,” Billhimer said in a statement. “The claims of self-defense, coupled with considerable proof problems, led to a resolution which we believe to be fair and just after careful consideration of all the facts and circumstances."
"Williams has been made to answer for her crime, and will be required to spend the next few years in state prison as a result. We hope this prison sentence provides some level of peace and closure to the family of Mr. Powers," Billhimer said.
Senior Assistant Prosecutors Kristin Pressman and Mara Brater handled the case.
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