Fairbanks woman changes plea in shooting death of husband

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – A Fairbanks woman has changed her plea in the shooting death of her husband.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports 49-year-old Mary Edna Gansman on Monday pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of 66-year-old Steve Hallonen.

The plea agreement calls for Gansman to serve 20 years in prison. Gansman will be sentenced Nov. 26.

Investigators determined that Gansman shot Hallonen multiple times on Dec. 9, 2016, at their west Fairbanks home.

Gansman called Hallonen’s daughter afterward and said she shot him because he was trying to strangle her. Hallonen was found dead in a chair.

Gansman told Alaska State Troopers that Hallonen shot himself several times and then said he had “maybe” shot himself once and that she shot him several more times.

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Information from: Fairbanks (Alaska) Daily News-Miner, http://www.newsminer.com