KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. (AP) — A Klamath Falls man has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and been sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting and killing his wife.
The Herald and News reported Thursday (http://bit.ly/vFI1Bt ) that the prosecution decided to press a manslaughter charge rather than accuse 38-year-old Dana Patrick Coburn of murder.
District Attorney Ed Caleb told the paper a murder conviction would require showing that Coburn shot his wife intentionally rather than recklessly, and that couldn’t be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. The sentence was imposed Tuesday.
Authorities say the shooting in May followed a disturbance in the home. Karla Coburn was shot in the face. Three children, all younger than 10 at the time, were in the house.
