BANGOR — A Newport man pleaded guilty to the fatal strangulation of his wife and was ordered to serve 12 years in prison on Tuesday.

Frederick Allen Jr., who pleaded guilty to manslaughter, apologized to friends and family in the courtroom, saying he loved his wife “with all my heart.”

He was charged in January 2020 after police found his wife’s body in their home. Anielka Allen, 37, was close to graduating from Beal College’s medical assisting program when she was killed.

Frederick Allen was sentenced to 18 years Tuesday, but a portion of the sentence was suspended. He was also sentenced to six years of probation and ordered to pay for his wife’s funeral expenses.

The Allens had filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences, a month before the killing. However, Anielka Allen later dismissed the divorce in a handwritten statement before her death.

Despite reversal of the divorce proceeding, Anielka Allen was still planning to leave her husband, Assistant Attorney General Lisa Bogue said.

Her car was packed to leave for Florida when she was killed, Bogue said.

Frederick Allen suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder after an injury in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, officials said. Before his arrest, he was getting counseling from the Togus VA Medical Center.