MOUNTVILLE, Pa. (WHTM) — A Lancaster County woman has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter for the fatal shooting of her ex-husband back in 2021.

According to the Lancaster County District Attorney’s office, 36-year-old Chrelle Byrd admitted to intentionally shooting Richard Williams “under the belief that circumstances would justify the killing even though that belief was unreasonable.”

Back in April 2021, police arrived at a residence in the 400 block of Hillside Drive in Mountville and were told that a man had been shot. The officer witnessed Byrd kneeling next to Willams with her hands in the air.

The district attorney’s office states that Byrd told police that she shot him and told the West Hempfield Township Police Department that she and Williams were in a verbal argument regarding finances. Byrd then told police she went upstairs to get her pistol soon after the argument turned physical.

Byrd pointed her pistol and fired one round as the victim approached her, about five to six feet away, according to the district attorney’s office.

Lancaster County Judge Merrill Spahn accepted the open guilty plea. and will order sentences at a time and date at a later time. The district attorney’s office states that Byrd faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison with sentencing guidelines between 4.5 to 6 years.