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‘Serial domestic violence offender’ pleads guilty to murder for strangling girlfriend

Lawrence Jennette (left) at his arraignment last year in Superior Court in Hartford. He is standing with  public defender Sean Croshaw.
Cloe Poisson / Hartford Courant
Lawrence Jennette (left) at his arraignment last year in Superior Court in Hartford. He is standing with public defender Sean Croshaw.
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A man described by a prosecutor as a “serial domestic violence offender” pleaded guilty Tuesday to murder for the strangulation death of his girlfriend in Hartford a year ago.

Lawrence Jennette, 40, faces 25 years in prison when he is sentenced Jan. 8.

Jennette’s guilty plea was part of an agreement negotiated by his lawyer, Jerald Barber of New Haven, and prosecutor Robin Krawczyk. He pleaded guilty to the murder and admitted to two probation violations, one of which involved a previous conviction for choking another woman.

Jennette was arrested on Sept. 5, 2017, two days after police say he strangled 30-year-old Cieratiye Henry.

The New Haven man has a criminal history that dates back 20 years to an animal cruelty arrest, and includes several domestic violence and assault arrests, prosecutors said.

Jennette has been arrested 17 times since 1997, including three times for violating a protective order issued as part of a domestic violence case, according to his arrest history obtained from the state police.

Hartford police went to 7 May St. in Hartford about 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 3, 2017, after someone called 911 and reported seeing a woman on the first-floor hanging naked out a broken window, screaming for someone to call police, according to the warrant for Jennette’s arrest.

When police went into the apartment, they found a violent, bloody scene, police said. Police tried to save Henry, who showed signs of assault and had a shoelace strung around her neck. She was taken to St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, where she died several hours later.

An autopsy revealed that Henry died from strangulation.

There were some issues with the state’s evidence in the case, which prompted the plea agreement. Krawczyk said the victim’s family agreed with the plea offer.