Boyfriend gets 8 years in attempted murder

A Baldwin man who admitted to trying to kill his girlfriend by beating her and putting a plastic bag over her head has been sentenced to eight years in prison, Nassau County prosecutors said Friday.

David Knudson, 42, pleaded guilty in November to attempted murder in the second degree, attempted assault in the first degree, strangulation in the second degree and aggravated criminal contempt, and resisting arrest. He was sentenced Thursday.

Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice said in a Friday news release that Knudson's attack was "beyond comprehension," calling it violent and vicious.

"The abuse suffered by the victim in this case demanded that this defendant be removed from society," she said in the statement.

Authorities said Knudson got into an argument with his girlfriend, 32, after coming home intoxicated at about 8 p.m. on Feb. 24.

The argument escalated, and "Knudson punched the victim in the face multiple times with closed fist, placed a plastic bag over her head, strangled her with both hands closed around her throat, and threatened to kill her," the news release said.

The unidentified woman freed herself. She suffered contusions, swelling, bruising and facial fractures, and requires jaw realignment surgery, prosecutors said.