A man has pleaded guilty to killing his cousin while uncocking a rifle four years ago.
Orlando Burke, 28, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter before U.S. District Court Judge Dee Benson Tuesday. In exchange, prosecutors dropped a charge of second-degree murder.Benson could order him to serve up to six years in prison and pay a $250,000 fine at Burke's sentencing, set for July 10.
In a statement submitted to the court, Burke said that on Jan. 6, 1996, he and his cousin, Wilfred Mark, 29, spent some time drinking and watching movies at his house near the Hatch Trading Post on the Navajo Nation Reservation.
"The next day, after obtaining the rifle from the bedroom, my rifle accidentally discharged when I was de-cocking the firearm," the statement says. The bullet struck Mark, who died shortly thereafter.
"I knew the de-cocking method I was using could result in unintentional discharge, and I acknowledge that I was not acting with sufficient caution when this incident occurred," Burke's statement concludes.
U.S. Justice Department spokeswoman Melodie Rydalch said authorities found out about Mark's death when Burke was stopped while driving with Mark's body in his car.
A federal grand jury indicted Burke with the murder charge in October. Since, he has been living at the Cornell Corrections facility in Salt Lake City on a work-release program.