RARITAN TOWNSHIP, NJ – A 45-year-old woman who admitted to stabbing a man to death inside their Raritan Township home has been sentenced to 20 years in state prison under a plea deal that mandates she serve nearly all of her time behind bars.
Domonique Preston was handed the two-decade sentence Friday by Superior Court Judge Christopher J. Garrenger for the February 2024 killing of Steven Spivey, 66.
Spivey was found dead with a stab wound to his shoulder.
Preston confessed to the stabbing when officers arrived at the home.
She will be required to serve 85% of her sentence before parole eligibility.
Police responded to a 9-1-1 call just before 2 a.m. on a Wednesday in February to the 100 block of Manchester Road, where they discovered Spivey’s body inside the residence. Preston, who also lived at the home, admitted at the scene that she stabbed him, leading to her immediate arrest.
She later pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated manslaughter on June 16 in exchange for a 20-year recommended sentence under the No Early Release Act, which mandates she serve at least 17 years before becoming eligible for parole. Following her release, she will remain under parole supervision for five additional years.
Prosecutors credited the joint work of the Raritan Township Police and Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office Criminal Investigations Unit for the outcome of the case. Officials have not disclosed a motive for the stabbing, and no further details about the relationship between Preston and Spivey were released.