Arizona cops sent to prison



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.