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Beverly Man Pleads Guilty To Role In Park Slaying

SALEM, Mass. (AP) — A Beverly man has pleaded guilty to playing a role in the death of a city man at a park two years ago.

Nineteen-year-old Adam Martin was sentenced Monday in Salem Superior Court to up to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter in connection with the March 2011 death of 26-year-old James Vernazarro.

The arranged fight was sparked by a dispute regarding a 17-year-old girl.

Prosecutors say Martin, who was then 17, brought an aluminum baseball bat to the fight, which he used to strike Vernazarro in the head and the hip. The other man is charged with stabbing the victim in the heart. His murder trial is scheduled to start next week.

Martin said he has bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and attention deficit disorder.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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