Man Pleads Guilty To Sniper-Style Murder Of Ex-Girlfriend

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- An Aurora man will spend 35 years behind bars after a plea deal in the murder case involving his ex-girlfriend, who he shot outside of an American Legion last fall.

The St. Louis County Attorney's office says 52-year-old John Joseph Plevell pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder.

The criminal complaint says Plevell hid outside of the Aurora American Legion on the evening of Nov. 8, 2016, and fatally shot Julie Ann Hildreth from about 60 feet away as she exited the building.

Plevell, who initially told investigators that he didn't shoot Hildreth, said had been in a relationship with her for a year and a half. He said she broke up with him about three months before the murder.

Hildreth, 49, was a personal care attendant.