Eric Clayton Venn, 42, Minot, was sentenced on Tuesday to 45 years in prison, with a requirement that he serve 35 years, followed by five years of supervised probation, for the Class AA felony murder of his girlfriend nearly a year ago. Venn had pleaded guilty to the offense in March in exchange for a plea deal.

“I’ve regretted it since I pulled the trigger,” Venn told Judge Richard Hagar on Tuesday. Venn said it was “a bad situation all the way around” and he will have to live with what he did.

Venn and the victim, Arnalyn Repalam, 29, had also jointly operated the Filipino Online Retail and Wholesale Store in Minot, a business that sold goods from the Philippines online. On July 10, 2021, Venn and Repalam had argued, then Venn had gone out and bought ammunition for his gun. Repalam arrived at the warehouse for their business and Venn followed her out and shot her multiple times in the head, chest, and abdomen. She died from her injuries.

During the sentencing hearing on Tuesday, a friend of the victim said that Repalam was “very hard-working,” “family-oriented,” and very nice and had not wanted to call the police or tell anyone when Venn beat her. The friend said Repalam was worried about what would happen to Venn’s family if he went to jail. Repalam’s family in the Philippines, including her young son, have been deeply affected by her murder, Repalam’s friend testified.

Judge Hagar also followed the prosecution’s request and ordered that Venn participate in classes for domestic violence offenders and anger management. Venn will have to serve at least 85% of the 35 years before he is eligible for parole. He will receive credit for the time he has already served in jail. Hagar also ordered him to pay restitution and court costs.