A man who was convicted of fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend, who was the mother of his child, in Camden in 2020 was sentenced last week to 70 years in state prison, authorities said.
Eric Seddens, 41, was found guilty on March 22 of first-degree aggravated manslaughter, according to a statement from the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office.
Police were called to the intersection of 8th and Walnut Street in Camden shortly before midnight on Sept. 29, 2020 after they received a report of a woman in the road, the office said.
Officers found the lifeless body of 33-year-old Ashley Allen. She was taken by ambulance to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead, officials said.
Investigators said Seddens killed Allen with a gunshot to the head and left her lying face-down in the middle of the street.
No motive for the killing has been released.
He then fled in her vehicle to Philadelphia where he hid out for a few days before taking a bus to Clearwater, Florida in an effort to evade capture, the office said.
He was located in Clearwater and arrested there after he hid in a motel for about two weeks under a friend’s name. Eventually U.S. Marshals captured him, officials said.
He had previously been convicted of third-degree aggravated assault in connection to an incident involving Allen in 2018. He had been released from prison only two months prior to her murder, investigators said. He was on parole for that crime at the time he shot and killed her.
Seddens was sentenced for killing Allen last Friday and must serve 85% of his prison term before he is eligible for parole, the office said.
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Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
