(AP) A 53-year-old Independence woman has pleaded guilty to beating her husband to death in 2010 and is expected to be sentenced to less than a decade in prison.

Catherine Ashworth initially was charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the Aug. 21, 2010, death of her husband, Ronnie D. Ashworth.

A probable cause statement says Ashworth and her husband had been arguing on the night before his death over her suspicions that he had been having an affair.

The criminal action charge was dropped and the murder charge was reduced to voluntary manslaughter as part of Ashworth’s plea. Prosecutors also agreed to a sentence of no more than 10 years in prison.