PHOENIX (AP) — A former
Phoenix police officer on Wednesday pleaded guilty to manslaughter, in a deal
that spares him a separate trial on charges of second-degree murder and animal
cruelty.
Richard Chrisman was convicted
of assault in September, but the jury failed to reach verdicts on the other
counts. Under the deal with prosecutors, Chrisman pleaded guilty Wednesday
to the lesser offense of manslaughter.
Chrisman faces seven to 14
years in prison for the manslaughter conviction, and will be sentenced on Dec.
20. He faces five to 15 years in prison for the assault conviction, but
both sentences will run concurrently.
Chrisman shot and killed an
unarmed man and his dog during a 2010 domestic violence call. He claimed the
shooting was self-defense, but his partner testified that Chrisman was
unprovoked.