40-year sentence for man who fatally shot his ex-girlfriend in her Crystal home

A 40-year-old man has received a 40-year sentence for fatally shooting his former girlfriend and mother of his child in her Crystal home in late 2020.

Erik Eggleston, of Robbinsdale, was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to second-degree murder about two weeks ago in connection with the death of Nigar Mammadzada, 29, who died of two gunshot wounds.

Judge William Koch's sentence of 40 years was an upward departure from state guidelines, which called for a sentence ranging from 21¾ to roughly 30 years.

With credit for time in jail since his arrest, Eggleston is expected to serve the first 25¾ years in prison and the balance on supervised release.

According to the criminal complaint:

Mammadzada dropped off the baby girl she shared with Eggleston with a babysitter and then took her mother to work. She then returned to her home on the 3500 block of Welcome Avenue, where she worked in a home office.

Her mother came back to the residence late Thursday afternoon and found Mammadzada dead. The mother told police that Mammadzada had recently broken up with Eggleston and that he had been to the home the night before the killing to spend time with their child. At that time, Mammadzada was getting ready to go out with another man.

Later that day, police found Eggleston lying in front of a friend's house in Oak Grove in Anoka County. He was bleeding and suffering from wounds that appeared to be self-inflicted, the charges said.