An Irishman has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of his former girlfriend in New York.

Tyrone man Gary McGurk, 24, now faces up to 37 years in prison after admitting that he killed Michelle Lee, a forensic investigator for the New York Police Department in April 2009.

Lee's roommate discovered her body bound and stabbed to death in her Queens apartment just over a year ago.

Queens DA Richard A Brown said it was "a brutal and senseless crime that abruptly cut short the life of a talented young woman with a bright and promising future.

"His guilty plea not only ensures that he will serve a lengthy prison sentence for his actions, but it also spares the victim's family the emotional trauma of having to listen to testimony at trial about the gruesome circumstances surrounding Ms Lee's death."

McGurk, of 48-56 58th Place in Woodside, Queens, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and three counts of tampering with physical evidence. He also admitted hitting her in the head and stabbing her in the neck with a knife.

McGurk tried to cover up the evidence by altering the condition and position of Lee's body and tampering with her blood.
He also cold-bloodedly sent a  message to his own phone from her Blackberry after he killed her.
The couple had first met while studying forensics at college in New York.