By KPTV/Portland

NEWPORT – A Newport man was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday after pleading guilty to murdering his girlfriend last fall.

Ryan Gaskins will have the possibility of parole after a minimum of 25 years in prison for the murder of 34-year-old Alexandra Prezioso.

Prezioso’s mom and several other family members were in court on Tuesday and spoke directly to Gaskins about the heartbreak he has caused them. The prosecutor detailed a tragic recurrence of domestic violence.

In late October, Prezioso’s mom found her daughter’s body buried under clothes in their home. It was determined that Alexandra was strangled to death. Gaskins, her boyfriend, had been the last person to see her, and in court on Tuesday, he admitted to killing her.

Court records show that in 2018, Gaskins was sentenced to just over a year in prison after pleading guilty to assaulting Alexandra. The prosecutor on Tuesday said he also strangled her then and pulled out her bone-anchored hearing aid.

During the hearing, Gaskins also had an opportunity to speak.

“Alex was a great person, she was a better person than I’ll ever be, and not a day goes by that I’m not going to have to live with this, and I’m truly sorry from the bottom of my heart that this happened,” Gaskins said.

Patti Prezioso after the hearing said she’s glad to see Gaskins sentenced to life in prison. She said it offers some relief in these past eight months, but that no sentence could ever be enough after losing her daughter.