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Man pleads guilty to pushing his girlfriend from 11th-floor balcony

A Winnipeg man has pleaded guilty to pushing his girlfriend from the 11th-floor balcony of a downtown apartment, killing her instantly.

Mario Trunzo, 49, was set to begin a second-degree murder trial this month in front of a jury. Instead, he struck a deal on Tuesday to plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter, which implies the death was not intended.

Trunzo will be sentenced next week. He no longer faces the mandatory minimum of life in prison with no chance of parole for at least 10 years as a result of the plea bargain.

Trunzo was charged with the mysterious January 2009 death of 23-year-old Alinda Lahteenmaki. She plunged from the Manitoba Housing apartment block at 375 Assiniboine Ave. Trunzo initially claimed Lahteenmaki took her own life.

www.mikeoncrime.com

History

Updated on Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at 5:04 PM CDT: Corrects Trunzo's age.

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