Antesthia Lee received a 29-year sentence, handed down by DeKalb Circuit Judge Kurt Klein Thursday, after she was found guilty of first-degree murder in January.

With a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison for a first-degree murder charge, Klein indicated he did not believe Lee was a cold-blooded killer but did find her responsible for the events leading up to Antonio Cureton’s death.

Lee was found guilty of murder after police said she stabbed Cureton at 7-Eleven at the corner of Annie Glidden Road and Hillcrest Drive in May.

Lee, 20, pleaded not guilty to murder charges in January and told the jury she carried the knife used in Cureton’s death for self-protection.

Lee’s attorney, Daniel Radakovich, called for Klein to show mercy in the sentencing and reminded him Lee had a 3-year-old child.

She told Klein she could not apologize for the incident enough and admitted she made a mistake in carrying the knife.