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A man suffocated his girlfriend after a deliberate crash will spent 28 to 56 years in prison.

According to The Inquisitr, the Pennsylvania man was abusive in the past, and had recently learned about her pregnancy. Benjamin Klinger, 21, of Elizabethtown, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and was sentenced Friday in Lancaster County Court. He apologized for the death of 17-year-old Samantha “Sammi” Heller, with whom he had a turbulent relationship.

The man suffocated his girlfriend after the deliberate crash told the victim’s family:

“I accept full responsibility for the loss of a very special person … I want you to know with all my heart I’m sorry … really sorry.”

Klinger was physically and verbally abusive to his girlfriend in the two years before he intentionally sped his car into a guardrail near Manheim at about 100 mph, authorities said.

A truck driver who came upon the wreckage on Dec. 4, 2012, heard the girlfriend screaming and was told by 911 operators not to move the crash victims. When police arrived, the man was sitting on top of Heller’s head and torso, according to the arrest affidavit, indicating that the man suffocated his girlfriend after the deliberate crash.

The victim’s mother, Sandy McFalls, said her daughter had been happy, charismatic and loving until she met Klinger and began withdrawing from family and friends.

“We began to do everything we could to keep Sammi away from Ben … I want you to have nothing else to do (in prison) but think about how you took her life and destroyed ours.”

Klinger’s sentence includes time for a drug charge and for sending sexually explicit photos of a minor. Judge Margaret Miller said she hopes Klinger comes out of prison a changed man.

“There is no doubt in my mind you lived your life with a callousness, arrogance and a cowardliness, frankly … because being a bully is a coward.”

Assistant District Attorney Christine Wilson told the court that on Dec. 4, 2012, Benjamin Daniel Klinger was speeding when he crashed a 1986 Toyota Celica into a guardrail. Investigators said the man was driving at speeds of 115 mph and found no evidence of braking, according to the report.

Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman told the Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era:

“At first glance, this appeared to be simply another tragic vehicle accident … However, the police worked hand-in-hand with our forensic experts and saw this was far more complicated, sinister and certainly criminal.”

McFalls said she agreed to Klinger pleading guilty to third-degree murder after the man suffocated his girlfriend after the deliberate crash. She said it was for the best rather than the uncertainty of a trial because it guarantees for nearly three decades that other women and children are safe.