Monday, February 16, 2009

Plea deal for man in fatal punching in Centralia

A man charged with a fatal punching in Centralia has accepted a plea agreement with Lewis County prosecutors.

CHEHALIS, Wash. —

A man charged with a fatal punching in Centralia has accepted a plea agreement with Lewis County prosecutors.

On Friday 30-year-old Henry E. Langley entered an Alford plea to second-degree manslaughter and was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Langley did not admit he was guilty but conceded that he would likely be convicted if the case went to trial.

He could have gotten a much longer sentence had he been convicted of second-degree murder for the death of 28-year-old Jonathan P. Case of Winlock. Case died after being punched by Langley, falling down and hitting his head on the street Sept. 8 in Centralia.

The confrontation occurred three months after Langley completed a prison term for possession of stolen property.

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Information from: The Chronicle, http://www.chronline.com

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