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ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A soldier accused of killing his 14-year-old girlfriend’s mother says the girl did it, not him, and he helped dispose of evidence only because she claimed to be pregnant.

Army Spc. Caleb Barnes’ testimony Friday came after the now-15-year-old Jamie Silvonek surprisingly took the stand in his defense.

She was slotted to testify for prosecutors as part of a plea deal to settle charges against her, but she wasn’t called.

She told the court Friday she was “in love” with the 22-year-old Barnes.

Barnes, who’s from El Paso, Texas, is accused of stabbing Cheryl Silvonek in March 2015 in Pennsylvania. He was based at Fort Meade in Maryland.

The Morning Call of Allentown reports Barnes says he was asleep in his car when Jamie knocked on his window, covered in blood.

Jamie Silvonek pleaded guilty in February to first-degree murder, conspiracy and other charges and is serving 35 years to life.

In this May 14, 2015, file photo, Army Spc. Caleb Barnes, center, is escorted to court for a preliminary hearing in Allentown, Pa. As a murder trial gets underway for Barnes, accused of killing his then-14-year-old girlfriend’s mother after the woman objected to their age difference, his attorney Richard Webster told a jury Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2016, that Cheryl Silvonek was fatally stabbed by her daughter Jamie Silvonek in March 2015. (Bill Adams /The Express-Times via AP, File)
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_111872965-6a683329ee6b42e2872edda98474d72a-2.jpg.optimal.jpgIn this May 14, 2015, file photo, Army Spc. Caleb Barnes, center, is escorted to court for a preliminary hearing in Allentown, Pa. As a murder trial gets underway for Barnes, accused of killing his then-14-year-old girlfriend’s mother after the woman objected to their age difference, his attorney Richard Webster told a jury Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2016, that Cheryl Silvonek was fatally stabbed by her daughter Jamie Silvonek in March 2015. (Bill Adams /The Express-Times via AP, File)

Associated Press