SIMI VALLEY : Man Gets 11 Years for Stabbing Girlfriend
A 22-year-old Simi Valley man who pleaded guilty to stabbing his 15-year-old girlfriend five times was sentenced Monday to 11 years in state prison.
Despite a letter from the victim asking the court to show leniency for Efren Z. Avalos, Acting Superior Court Judge Bruce A. Clark handed out the 11-year sentence in the attempted murder case.
Prosecutors asked Clark to sentence Avalos to 13 years in prison; a public defender urged the judge to give the defendant a five-year prison term.
Christel Reed was stabbed twice in the stomach and once in the shoulder, hand and back, Deputy Dist. Atty. Mary Peace said.
Peace said Avalos first considered stabbing the girl with a small pocketknife during the Sept. 9 incident. But he then went into the kitchen and retrieved a larger knife. He attacked the victim as she walked from a bathroom, Peace said.
Avalos lived with the girl, her father and another woman, police said.
Deputy Public Defender Brian Fitzpatrick argued that Avalos was under the influence of drugs and alcohol during the attack. Fitzpatrick could not be reached after court.
The victim underwent surgery twice, but is now recovering, officials said.
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