AUGUSTA — A 27-year-old Lewiston man convicted in Franklin County last June of threatening to kill his girlfriend in front of her children, telling them, “Today’s the day your mother’s going to die,” was sentenced Thursday in superior court in the Capital Judicial Center.

Brandon W. Knox was ordered to serve six years in prison with all but 30 months suspended and two years’ probation.

Justice Nancy Mills imposed the sentence that was recommended by both Knox’s attorney, Thomas Carey and the prosecutor, Deputy District Attorney James Andrews.

Mills recapped some of the case, saying the victim’s testimony at trial carried all the hallmarks indicating domestic violence and control by Knox.

She said that the Dec. 5, 2013, incident began while the woman was driving, and Knox began hitting her, calling her ignorant “and told her it was her last day on earth.”

Mills said the victim recalled Knox throwing a hammer at her face and missing and a lot of bleeding.

“She remembered blood all over her hands and could taste blood in her mouth,” Mills said.

Knox told the victim’s mother he would kill her daughter and bury her out back, Mills noted.

The victim took photos of her injuries and emailed them to her mother, Mills said, and Knox also made the victim clean up the scene while he sat in the car.

“He told her to say she had been jumped by two strangers,” Mills said.

Mills said that after the assault, Knox “eventually apologized to her, but told her it was her fault he did what he did.”

Knox, who had his hands cuffed in front of him and shackles around his waist, addressed the judge at the hearing, telling her this was a turning point in his life and that he hopes it never happens again. Knox wore a short-sleeved white T-shirt and khaki pants, and two deputies from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office sat behind him during the hearing.

Urging Mills to accept the recommendation, Carey said, “This is a significant jail sentence unlike any he’s ever served before,” noting that Knox has been in custody for the past 14 to 15 months.

Knox was indicted in January 2014 by a grand jury in Franklin County on charges of criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, domestic violence assault and domestic violence terrorizing and terrorizing on Dec. 5, 2013. The jury convicted him of the first three charges, but found him not guilty of terrorizing.

The victim was not at the hearing. Andrews said she has since moved out of state. Conditions of probation ban Knox from contact with the victim and her mother.

“I agree that the sentence makes sense,” said Mills, who also presided at the trial. “My goal here is to see that you get some help, Mr. Knox.” He nodded as she urged him to enter programs at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham that include substance abuse counseling, certified batterers’ intervention and anger management.

“The point of this sentence is really rehabilitation more than punishment,” Mills said.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams