Nantucket Man Pleads Guilty To Killing House Painter
BARNSTABLE, Mass. (AP) -- A Nantucket resident accused of killing a fellow house painter after a night of drinking together has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Prosecutors say 53-year-old Thomas Ryan pleaded guilty Thursday in Barnstable Superior Court to the lesser charge rather than face a murder trial. He was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison Ryan had been held without bail since the March 2009 stabbing death of 39-year-old Scott Bernard.
Prosecutors say Ryan stabbed Bernard once in the chest as they were returning to Ryan's home after drinking together at a local bar.
Ryan's attorney called the stabbing a case of self-defense, but told the Cape Cod Times that the manslaughter plea was a "good resolution for everyone concerned."
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Information from: Cape Cod Times
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