TORRINGTON–The young woman convicted of stabbing a teen girl to death at a Torrington convenience store has been sentenced.
On Friday, Heather Birden, 20, was sentenced to 20 years in prison, followed by 10 years of special parole.
She pleaded guilty to the manslaughter and assault of Holly Aeschlimann, 19, of Torrington, who died on April 17 after being stabbed multiple times during a physical altercation. Birden then left Aeschlimann to die. A passerby saw Aeschlimann on the ground screaming and injured, and drove her to the hospital, but she succumbed to her injuries.
Birden and Aeschlimann apparently knew each other and had a long-standing feud.
Birden had originally be charged with murder, but agreed to a plea deal on September 18, which the judge accepted.
