A 48-year-old LaPorte man has admitted to stabbing his elderly girlfriend to death and stuffing her in a freezer.

Daniel Shoffner pleaded guilty but mentally ill to Class A felony voluntary manslaughter. This means he’s now just facing a 20 to 50 year sentence in prison, not the maximum 65 years that were possible. Shoffner will start his sentence at a state mental health facility due to terms of the plea deal, according to the Northwest Times.

In a case that received national attention, 73-year-old Birdie Elder was stabbed multiple times inside her home in LaPorte in June of 2014, then put into a small freezer. Shoffner admitted that a fight over sex and family led to her attacking him. He grabbed a knife Elder gave him as a gift and stabbed her multiple times.

Shoffner admitted to his daughter four days later that he had killed Elder. The daughter made the call to 911 upon discovering her body. It took several days for the body to dethaw before an autopsy could be done, according to the Northwest Times.