BRENTWOOD - A Derry man who allegedly threatened to kill his girlfriend with a shotgun has agreed to plead guilty to assault-related charges as part of a negotiated deal that will send him to state prison.

Joseph Greenquist, 24, plans to plead guilty to second-degree assault and being a felon in possession of a weapon and spend two to five years in state prison, according to terms of the deal. A judge has scheduled a plea-and-sentencing hearing for June 11 in Rockingham County Superior Court.

Derry police arrested Greenquist on the night of July 29 after his girlfriend fled from her Everett Street apartment and reported the assault, according to court records. Greenquist is accused of choking the woman and slapping her on the buttocks at least four times. He allegedly told his girlfriend that "they would both end up murdered if she did not stop acting like a brat," prosecutors said in an indictment.

Greenquist allegedly forced the 21-year-old woman into a bedroom closet and propped a chair against the door to keep her from getting out, prosecutors say.

He then started "pulling the trigger and working the action of a shotgun while positioned outside of a closet so that (she) could hear the weapon while trapped inside," prosecutors said. Greenquist was indicted on two counts of criminal threatening, six counts of simple assault and charges of false imprisonment, second-degree assault and being a felon in possession of a weapon. Had he been convicted by a jury on the criminal threatening charge, Greenquist could have faced up to 20 years behind bars and a $4,000 fine.

Court records say Greenquist was barred from having a weapon because of a 2006 burglary conviction in Strafford County Superior Court. Greenquist is still being held at Rockingham County jail.

jkimble@newstote.com