A 45-year-old man was sentenced today to 25 years to life in state prison for fatally shooting his live-in girlfriend near the Porter Ranch house they shared, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced.

Last week, Joseph Defalco pleaded no contest to one count of second-degree murder and admitted using a firearm.

Deputy District Attorney Julie Kramer, who prosecuted the case, said Defalco shot Ann Risa Suggs, 52, twice in the head and then shot himself before returning to their home on June 14, 2013. After a standoff with police that lasted more than five hours, Defalco was arrested and treated for his injuries.

The defendant and the victim had dated for approximately 20 years and lived together for more than two years at the Porter Ranch house when the murder occurred, the prosecutor said.

Case PA077259 was investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department, Devonshire Station.

Los Angeles County District Attorney / Case PA077259  / March 7, 2016