A Bridgeton man was sentenced to 28 years in prison last week in the 2020 killing of his girlfriend.
Patrick Spann, now 41, had already been ordered to stay away from Tracy DuBois, after he was charged with assaulting her April 3, 2020, court records show.
Weeks later, her body was found on the bed of the Cohansey River on May 22, 2020.
Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office investigators were following a tip from a caller who overheard a man named "Patrick" talking to an unknown male about help moving a body from a warehouse.
Officers were familiar with Spann and his paramour, Dubois, according to Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae.
They found a crime scene inside an abandoned warehouse on Grove Street known as the "four star," where there were drag marks and blood leading from the building to where the victim's body was found.
A "be on the lookout" was put out for Spann, who was found at the bus stop in Bridgeton near the intersection of North Pearl and Commerce streets. He had Dubois' bag of belongings.
Spann was indicted for murder, but pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter.
He was given a concurrent eight-year sentence for desecration of human remains.
Spann must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence, or about 23 years and nine months.
