RUSSELLVILLE, Ala. (AP) — A man accused of killing his girlfriend and then trying to make it like a suicide is going to prison.

A Franklin County judge sentenced 39-year-old Jason Green of Russellville to 19 years in prison during a hearing Wednesday.

Green pleaded guilty to a manslaughter charge in the shooting death of 27-year-old Shay Nicole Ledlow in 2011.

Authorities say the couple had a history of domestic violence, and the man shot the woman to death in the home they shared.

But Green claimed the woman shot herself in the mouth on a dare as they argued. Physical evidence cast doubt on his suicide claim.

Green was originally charged with murder but pleaded guilty to the reduced charge earlier this year.