FARMINGTON — A man accused in the shooting death of a friend has been allowed to plead guilty to manslaughter in a plea bargain opposed by the victim's mother.
Darlene Juarez, the mother of Michael Sabella, 18, spoke to the court during a hearing Thursday for Seger Lorenzo Parker, 19, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
"I anticipated that there would be a trial because I wanted to know all the facts of what really happened to my son," Juarez told 2nd District Judge Thomas Kay. "I feel kind of cheated in a way."
Parker agreed to plead guilty to second-degree manslaughter for the Sept. 22, 2001, shooting death of Sabella. In exchange for his plea, prosecutors dismissed a second-degree felony obstruction of justice charge and a third-degree felony possession of a weapon by a prohibited person charge.
Prosecutor Troy Rawlings said that his office took the victim's family's wishes into account but felt satisfied with the disposition of the case.
"Manslaughter was the most serious of the charges," Rawlings said. "That is the charge the state is most concerned about."
Sabella was killed by a shotgun blast to the chest while at Parker's Clearfield home, according to court records.
Police said Parker purchased the 12-gauge shotgun and a box of ammunition that day and had been showing it off to Sabella and a juvenile when the gun went off. The gun was purchased from a black market source in Ogden, police said. Because of a juvenile record, Parker was restricted from buying firearms.
Parker is being held in the Davis County Jail on $25,000 bail. He is scheduled for sentencing at 1 p.m. on May 2.
Had the case gone to trial, Rawlings said, the defense would have argued that the shooting merited a charge no more severe than negligent homicide, a class A misdemeanor.
Defense attorney Geoffrey Clark said the shooting was accidental. He said Parker and Sabella were inseparable best friends and Parker would never have deliberately killed his friend.
"My client pointed a shotgun at his friend believing it was empty," Clark said. "The defendant entered his plea not only in his best interest, but also for the best interest of the family."