ST. CHARLES – A woman received 25 years in prison after pleading guilty Thursday to a 2012 stabbing death at the Batavia Apartments complex.

Latoya M. Baines, 27, who lived at the Batavia Apartments complex on East Wilson Street at the time of the stabbing, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the April 30, 2012, stabbing death of Chicago resident Gerald J. Jackson, 25. Police had said the stabbing was the result of a domestic dispute.

Baines received 20 years in prison for second-degree murder, and five years in prison for burglary. According to the Kane County State's Attorney's Office, Baines had an unreasonable belief that she needed to act in self-defense. The terms are to be served consecutively.

Kane County Circuit Judge Susan Clancy Boles accepted the plea. Baines wept as the plea agreement was read aloud in court.

Baines and Gerald J. Jackson had a child together who is now 4 years old. Prosecutors presented evidence that early April 30, 2012, Baines and her boyfriend – Jackson – were in a female friend’s apartment. Sometime after 1 a.m., Baines went to her own apartment for a short time.

When Baines returned to the friend’s apartment she became angry, left the apartment, retrieved knives from her own apartment and returned to the friend’s apartment, where she confronted Jackson.

The confrontation spilled into a common hallway, with Jackson following Baines down a stairwell. While on the stairs, Baines lunged at him with the knife, stabbing him once in the chest. Jackson died a short time later.

With good behavior, Baines could be released from prison in about 9 1/2 years, said Kane County Assistant State's Attorney Mark Stajdohar. She will receive 1,103 days credit for time served in the Kane County Jail.

Baines also will have to pay Jackson's family $11,450, equivalent to the cost of his funeral.

"We think it is an appropriate agreement in the case," Stajdohar said. "They had a rocky relationship, which had elements of physical violence."

Deborah Jackson, Jackson's stepmother, said Baines was constantly aggressive toward her stepson.

She said Baines had cut his arm in 2011, causing him to need 16 stitches. She said nothing happened to Baines in that case.

"They [authorities] could have stopped her a long time ago," she said. "I feel the state failed."

Stajdohar said he could not comment on that incident.

Batavia Police Detective Kevin Bretz had previously testified in court that Baines told him she was bipolar after she was told she was being charged with first-degree murder.