Man sentenced to 78 years for killing girlfriend
COCOA, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - A 36-year-old man was sentenced to more than 70-years prison for shooting and killing his girlfriend in 2014.
Brevard Circuit Judge Morgan Laur Reinmen on Tuesday sentenced Dennis Aviles, 26, to a total of 78 years prison for the crimes he was charged. Thirty-years of the total sentence will run concurrent with the rest of his sentence. He won’t be eligible for release until he is 84-years old.
In October, a jury of six found Aviles guilty of manslaughter with a firearm, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, providing false statements to law enforcement and altering, destroying or concealing evidence.
On August 28, 2014 Aviles called 911 to report that he and his girlfriend, Tahnika Duppins, 32, were robbed at gunpoint and she had been shot. Aviles told detectives two black males came to the couple’s home on Johnson Street to buy crack cocaine. Aviles said a struggle ensued and that’s when his girlfriend was shot.
The investigation later revealed Aviles made up the story. Evidence and witness testimony yielded the conclusion that Aviles shot his girlfriend on purpose after an argument with her.