Darren Mansfield, age 23, of Bay Shore, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and strangulation on Wednesday, March 29, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney. Mansfield is expected to receive a 30-year prison sentence for the two charges.

On April 14, 2021, Frania Espinal, of Dix Hill, was found dead inside Mansfield’s apartment. She was 22 years old and was dating Mansfield at the time, according to prosecutors. Medical examiners ruled her death as a homicide, with the main cause of death being strangulation. Espinal also suffered several additional injuries.

At the time of Espinal’s death, Mansfield was out on bail after strangling another woman in November 2020. According to authorities, Mansfield was out on a date with the woman at the Bay Shore Marina when he put her in a headlock and choked her. She survived the incident and remains unnamed.

“Enough is enough,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in a statement, adding that “A 30-year sentence is the only appropriate punishment for the brutality of these acts.”

Mansfield will be officially sentenced on Wednesday, May 10.  

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