A man charged with shooting his friend to death after the distraught man asked him to pull the trigger may have a manslaughter charge against him dropped.
Bruce Radford Purdy, 36, was charged with the second-degree felony in connection with the death of Ricardo Justin Weiner, 25. His body was found near a cave in Little Willow Canyon in early July.Salt Lake County deputy attorney Greg Skordas asked 3rd Circuit Judge Robin Reese to divert prosecution of Purdy for one year. If Purdy continues to see a clinical psychologist and commits no crimes during the year, the manslaughter charge may be dismissed.
Purdy told detectives Weiner was distraught over a pending rape case against him. He said he and Weiner took a gun and hiked up the canyon on July 6. Court documents state Weiner asked Purdy to kill him. The two argued and struggled for the gun. During the struggle, Purdy fired the gun into Weiner's head.
The men had been sharing a half gallon of whiskey and were smoking marijuana prior to the shooting, according to the documents.