A man pleaded no contest this week to voluntary manslaughter and kidnapping in the death of his girlfriend, who jumped out of a moving pickup truck to get away from him during a fight.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Frank M. Tavelman ordered defendant Bryan McKim, 58, to return to court March 1, when he is expected to be sentenced to 12 years and eight months in prison under the terms of the negotiated plea.
Prosecutors said McKim got into an argument that turned physical on March 3, 2016, with 58-year-old Linda Wood, his girlfriend of three years.
McKim was driving a Chevrolet pickup truck near East Avenue R in Palmdale when the fight started. Wood tried to get away from McKim, but he continued to attack her, grabbing her by her hair and arms to keep her from exiting the truck, according to prosecutors.
When Wood finally broke free, she jumped out of the moving pickup and hit her head on the street. She died at a hospital nine days later.
