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Akil Herbert of Florence Township pleaded guilty in September to first-degree attempted murder and violating a restraining order in 2016, according to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina.
Herbert must serve 85 percent of the term before becoming eligible for parole, Coffina said.
He was sentenced on Thursday by Superior Court Judge Philip E. Haines in Mount Holly.
An investigation began on Sept. 7, 2016 when patrol officers from the Florence Township Police Department found Herbert's girlfriend stabbed multiple times in the back and face, breaking the blade of the knife from the handle, Coffina said.
Herbert then slammed her head against the ground before fleeing on foot, the prosecutor said.
Witnesses reported that Herbert ran down the street and into a wooded area. A manhunt ensued, and he was taken into a custody the next day at his residence, authorities said.
“This was a tremendously violent assault,” Coffina said. “We are fortunate it did not become a homicide.”
The case was handled by Assistant Prosecutor Courtney J. O’Brien. The lead investigator was Florence Township Police Detective Nicole Bonilla.
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