Jerome Woodland sentenced to 30 years in prison for killing girlfriend in 2021

MINNEAPOLIS -- A 55-year-old Minneapolis man was sentenced to more than 30 years in prison for killing his girlfriend in April of 2021.

Jerome Woodland was found guilty of second-degree unpremeditated murder and unintentional second-degree murder while committing a felony. He was sentenced on Wednesday to 366 months in prison.

According to documents, police were dispatched to the 400 block of Ridgewood Avenue on April 7, 2021 and found 38-year-old Nikkiyia Robinson dead in a back room with a stab wound in the chest. There was a bloodied butcher knife found nearby.

The owner of the property said he had been letting Woodland stay there in recent weeks. The owner said he'd arrived home that day to find Robinson injured in a back room, and Woodland calling 911. Court documents say Woodland fled through the back door and told the property owner to call for an ambulance.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman offered his condolences to Robinson's family after the sentencing on Wednesday.

"The damage caused by intimate partner violence is often deep and relentless. We hope this conviction and sentence begins to bring some degree of justice to the family," he said.

Domestic Violence Resources: For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.