Hibbing Man Pleads Guilty In 2022 Murder Of His Girlfriend

HIBBING, Minn. — A Hibbing man has pleaded guilty to murdering his girlfriend in June 2022.

The St. Louis County Attorney’s Office says 47-year-old Eric James Jarvis entered the plea to First Degree Manslaughter in connection to the death of Kari Jo Petrich.

Police arrested Jarvis after he called 911 early Tuesday morning, June 28. When police arrived, his girlfriend, 43-year-old Kari Jo Petrich was on the floor of the apartment. Officers said they could tell right away that she was dead.

The criminal complaint says an autopsy found the cause of death to be blunt force trauma to her face, leading to a brain bleed.

Jarvis could be sentenced to over 8 years in prison. Sentencing will take place on September 14 at 3:30 p.m.