BILLINGS, Mont. — A Billings man who pleaded guilty to beating and torturing his girlfriend over a period of four days last summer has been sentenced to 12 years in the Montana State Prison.
The Billings Gazette reports District Judge Ingrid Gustafson sentenced 32-year-old Matthew Ryan Bertagnolli on Wednesday to 20 years in prison with eight suspended for aggravated assault and partner or family member assault.
Public defender Randi Hood argued that Bertagnolli should be sentenced to a state inpatient treatment facility to address his mental illness and methamphetamine addiction.
Public defender Randi Hood argued that Bertagnolli should be sentenced to a state inpatient treatment facility to address his mental illness and methamphetamine addiction. Prosecutors sought a 20-year term.
Bertagnolli was charged after a woman reported he beat her, burned her with a cigarette and urinated on her. The woman suffered a broken nose, fractured facial bones, burns and bruising during the ordeal last July.
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Information from: Billings Gazette, billingsgazette.com">http://www.billingsgazette.com