Man sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for threatening ex-girlfriend with a gun

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A man accused of beating up his girlfriend and threatening her with a gun was sentenced Tuesday to two and a half years in prison.

Chaunie Saunders will get a couple of months knocked off for time served as he’s been in jail since April.

He took a plea deal, admitting to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Saunders has 16 years worth of domestic violence accusations. While his defense team pointed out those cases were dropped, a judge said they still added up.

“Many of which were dismissed due to victim non-cooperation. Mr. Brennan is correct when he notes that these cases only yield convictions when Mr. Saunders is caught by someone else. In many ways this case is the culmination of all of those cases,” said District Court Judge David A. Murphy. 

Saunders’ guilty plea came after a video was released in court, showing him apparently threatening his girlfriend with a gun behind the couch.

In 2022, his girlfriend was found shot dead, though her death is not considered a homicide and police are still investigating.