A Bath man who strangled his mother in a drunken rage last year was given a 20-year prison sentence Monday.

Jason Ibarra, 43, was granted some leniency by Justice Daniel Billings, who suspended 10 years of his sentence, noting his violent upbringing, willingness to take responsibility by pleading guilty to killing his mother, 66-year-old Jeanine Ross, and his family’s support, among other factors.

“Part of the reason I’m not giving up on you is your family’s not giving up on you,” Billings said. “This does give you an opportunity to move on in your life. There’s a lot of life ahead of you. It’s up to you to learn from this experience.”

Billings also sentenced Ibarra to six years of probation following his release from prison.

The sentence was lighter than what prosecutors sought, asking for 30 years with 15 years suspended and six years of probation. They agreed to a plea deal with Ibarra’s attorneys, Jeremy Pratt and Rory McNamara, after Billings sanctioned them for not properly disclosing key witness records, leading the Maine Office of the Attorney General to announce policy changes. Ibarra pleaded guilty to a manslaughter charge; he was originally charged with murder and would have faced a prison sentence of at least 25 years to life.

Assistant Attorney General Leane Zainea emphasized the violence of the crime.

“He strangled her as she was scratching at his face, trying to get him to stop,” Zainea said. “She fought for her life.

“It is difficult to imagine the fear and desperation Jeanine must have experienced at the hands of her own son.”

Ibarra apologized in a prepared statement he read in court.

“I am so sorry,” he said. “I cannot adequately express my remorse, self-loathing and broken heart.”

He blamed alcohol for his violent behavior and said alcoholism runs in his family. His criminal record includes several charges of assault and criminal threatening.

“Anything bad that’s ever happened in my life has always been because of alcohol,” he said.

Around the time of the killing, Ibarra’s blood-alcohol level was measured at 0.39, nearly five times the legal limit, according to court documents.

Ibarra asked Billings for leniency, saying he’s committed to counseling and wants to better himself for the sake of his daughter.

“I’ll strive to be the father you deserve,” he said.

Billings said he took Ibarra’s chaotic childhood into account in sentencing. Pratt said when Ibarra was 5 years old and growing up in Michigan, his mother stabbed his stepfather to death and served four years in prison for involuntary manslaughter. When Ibarra was 21 years old, he found his father and his father’s girlfriend soon after they were shot and confronted the gunman; the girlfriend was killed and his father was left a paraplegic and died a year later, according to Pratt.

“That trauma is very difficult to overcome and is almost certainly related to the way Mr. Ibarra lived his life as an adult,” Billings said. “It’s certainly not an excuse for his actions … but it remains a mitigating factor.”

“The substance abuse and mental health issues are an outgrowth of the significant trauma Mr. Ibarra has experienced in his life.”

Several members of Ibarra’s family, including his brother, wrote letters to the court asking for leniency. His brother notified police of the killing on May 24, 2022, after Ibarra called him and admitted to strangling his mother.

“I know my brother, and he is not a monster,” his brother wrote in a letter to the court. “Even though he committed this unforgivable crime … I believe Jason is a victim in this crime, too.

“I knew how hard his life had been and how much he loved our mother. And that living with the realization of guilt of what he had done would be something he could never take back. I think that living with this is punishment greater than any jail sentence.”

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