A Lake Havasu City man who shot his live-in girlfriend in the face with a shotgun in April has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Michael James Phillips, 33, was originally charged with attempted second-degree murder but took a plea bargain to aggravated assault/domestic violence.
His lawyer asked Mohave County Judge Steven Conn to sentence Phillips to 10 years in prison, arguing that the shooting was accidental, but Conn rejected the plea.
"An argument can be made that you may not have killed the victim, but you have taken a life from her," Conn said at the sentencing Tuesday. "If this was an accident, your explanation doesn't seem rational. And if you just walked up and shot her in the face, 15 years is not nearly enough."
Renee Czajkowski, 36, was severely disfigured and blinded by the blast from a 12-gauge fired by Phillips. The shooting happened in the driveway of the home they shared in Lake Havasu City.
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She was in court Tuesday to hear the sentence handed down, although a victims advocate addressed the court for her.
"Ten to 15 years imprisonment is very small compared to the lifelong sentence Renee Czajkowski received at the hands of Michael," said Sandy Fortin, the victim's advocate. "You have a young mother of three children that will never physically see her daughter in a wedding gown or her sons play sports."
Phillips claimed at the time the two were arguing and the shooting was accidental.
"This was no accident," said prosecutor Jeremy Huss. "He shot her, went into the garage, unloaded the shotgun and drove off while she lay bleeding in the street. That's not an accident."
Defense attorney Ron Gilleo said Phillips has tried to make amends.
"Michael realizes this was a horrible incident and he's tried to make it right," Gilleo said, adding that Phillips signed over power of attorney to Czajkowski and her mother to give the victim full access to the home they once shared.
Czajkowski said after court that she may have the house, but she is struggling to make the $2,000 mortgage payment on a small Social Security check and what state and food stamp benefits her children receive.
"He was a good man but drugs changed him," Czajkowski said. "Meth is ruining Lake Havasu City."
