MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office charged a New Hope man Thursday for allegedly strangling his girlfriend of eight years.

Douglas Manney, 50, was charged with second degree murder.

Police arrested Manney Monday in connection with the death of his girlfriend, 40-year-old Kristin Sandeen.

Police found Sandeen’s body Sunday morning when they went to her apartment, located on the 6000 block of Broadway Avenue, after receiving a call from the victim’s sister. The victim’s sister said Manney had called her, saying she should call 911 because Sandeen was unconscious and Manney was leaving her apartment, police said.

According to the criminal complaint, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner performed an autopsy on the victim’s body. Before the autopsy was finished, however, he concluded that the wounds the victim suffered were consistent with strangulation. He found internal and external injuries in and around the victim’s neck, jaw and cheeks. The examiner was awaiting the toxicity report.

Police said Manney admitted to choking the victim so hard that she gasped for air. However, Manney said that he choked the victim Saturday, the evening before her death.

On that evening, police responded to the victim’s residence at approximately 7:30 p.m. When police arrived, the victim appeared intoxicated, police said. Manny, who lived with the victim, said that she had assaulted him, but he did not want to press charges. Police then took Manney to a motel for the night. Taxi records show that the next morning Manney took a cab to the victim’s apartment.

Manney told police that he had been in a volatile relationship with the victim for eight years and that he had lived with her for four years.

Manney is in custody.