A Minnesota man, aged 35, faces a jail term of under a year for his role in a tragic incident involving his girlfriend, who died after leaping from a moving vehicle he was driving.

Judge Walter M. Kaminsky from the Tenth Judicial District sentenced Johnathan James Schafer to 364 days in a county jail, accounting for 175 days he has already served. This will be followed by a three-year probationary period due to the death of 23-year-old Julia Marie Marthaler, as per court documents analyzed by Law&Crime. In September, Schafer admitted guilt to a felony charge of failing to stop after a crash resulting in injury or death, alongside a misdemeanor for driving under the influence.

The judge additionally imposed a two-year suspended sentence, which will be enforced should Schafer breach probation conditions. These stipulations include abstaining from alcohol and drugs, completing substance abuse and mental health programs, and attending a driving improvement course, among other requirements.

The incident unfolded on May 15 when Schafer’s mother called 911, informing the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office dispatcher that her son had reported his girlfriend had jumped from his truck.

Shortly after, another call was made to 911 by a woman identified as a friend of Schafer. She relayed that Schafer had phoned her, stating his girlfriend had jumped from the truck, that he was not with her, and mentioned she was near a cemetery while he was at a park in Becker City. Schafer claimed he had checked on Marthaler, found her unresponsive, but had since left her side.

Both callers later told authorities that Schafer sounded intoxicated.

Becker Police responded to the park where they located Schafer in the driver’s seat of his parked truck, talking on his cellphone. Upon approaching, officers said they “detected the very strong odor of alcohol emitting from inside the vehicle.”

“Officers also located blood on the door, handle, and on the Defendant’s hand. Officers also observed a shotgun cased in the backseat,” the affidavit says. “[Schafer] agreed to travel with Becker officers in an attempt to locate [Marthaler].”

Multiple agencies took part in the search for Marthaler, who was located lying in the grass several feet away from the road in the 5800 block of 140th Avenue Southeast. She appeared to have suffered “severe trauma” and was pronounced dead a short time later.

Investigators said that Schafer spent more than 42 minutes on the phone with his mom and friend after the incident rather than calling 911 for medical assistance.

In a post-Miranda interview with police, Schafer said he and Marthaler went to a bar for dinner where they both consumed alcohol.

“[Schafer] reported that when they left, [Marthaler] did not want to go home and the two drove around backroads,” the affidavit said. “The Defendant reported that an argument occurred and [Marthaler] jumped out of the vehicle. The Defendant stated he stopped and checked on [Marthaler] and she was not responding. The Defendant stated that he panicked when he saw headlights approaching and left the area.”

Schafer’s two-year stayed sentence is higher than normal state guidelines, records show. Kaminsky said he made that decision due to the “unusually cruel treatment” Schafer showed toward Marthaler when he moved her body away from the side of the road and into taller grass, making her even more difficult to locate, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.