ASHEVILLE – A Buncombe County woman pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in Buncombe County Superior Court Nov. 4, more than a year after an argument with her boyfriend escalated, and he was found dying from stab wounds near Smokey Park Highway in Asheville.
Kala Elaine Fralick, 28, was originally charged with second-degree murder after Asheville Police Department officers found Dustin Lee Burwell, 30, suffering from three stab wounds to the chest around 4:12 a.m. on Sept. 27, 2023.
Several people were attempting to aid Burwell when officers arrived, according to a news release from District Attorney Todd Williams’ Office. Burwell was pronounced dead soon after the arrival of Buncombe County EMS.
Fralick and Burwell had been in a relationship for about three years, and had known each other most of their lives, according to defense attorney Sam Snead. They had both been experiencing homelessness for about a year and were living in an encampment off Smokey Park Highway.
According to the DA’s Office, witnesses were walking up to the encampment on foot Sept. 27, 2023, when they saw Burwell, who stated that Fralick stabbed him.
Previous reporting:Update: Man killed in stabbing on Smokey Park Highway identified; woman charged, arrested
Burwell had recently been accepted into an inpatient treatment program for addiction out of state, according to the release and Snead. Investigators claim that Burwell had intended to end his relationship with Fralick to go into the program, which led to his stabbing.
If the case were to have gone to trial, Snead said they would have refuted that as Fralick’s motive. During the sentencing hearing Nov. 4, Snead explained that there was a verbal argument that “got out of control,” and if there had been a trial, Fralick would have claimed self-defense.
“What would have come out in the trial is that a verbal argument escalated into a physical confrontation, and she used a knife to get him to stop attacking her,” Snead said.
Fralick read a handwritten letter to the court Nov. 4, mentioning that she did what she “felt she needed to do.” However, her statement mostly dealt “with her anguish, sorrow and remorse for her actions and apologizing to the family, and hoping that she could get some forgiveness,” Snead said.
More:Asheville man dies in Pisgah View stabbing, another injured; suspect charged with murder
Under a plea agreement, Fralick pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in front of Superior Court Judge Alan Z. Thornburg, who sentenced her to serve an active term of 139 to 179 months – or up to 15 years – in prison.
Anyone experiencing intimate partner violence should immediately contact law enforcement at 911 or the Family Justice Center at 828-250-6900 for assistance. Those struggling with substance abuse can contact the Justice Resource Center at 828-250-6401 for assistance.
Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. She is a graduate of Indiana University and was the Citizen Times Summer News Reporting Intern in 2022. Email her at rober@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober