The girlfriend of the man accused of raping and murdering a Gilbert nursing student was sentenced on Wednesday to two and a half years in prison for buying her boyfriend a firearm.
Mandi Elaine Smith, 25, pleaded guilty on June 6 to weapons misconduct after she admitted to investigators that she bought her boyfriend, Johnathan Ian Burns, a handgun even though she knew he wasn’t allowed to have one.
Burns, 26, faces first-degree murder charges in connection with the death of Jackie Hartman, 19, of Gilbert.
County Attorney Andrew Thomas said no charges were dropped or reduced in exchange for the guilty plea.
