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News / Northwest

OR man gets 15 years in fatal shooting of neighbor

The Columbian
Published: April 4, 2012, 5:00pm

ROSEBURG, Ore. (AP) — A 54-year-old Oregon man who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the shooting death of a neighbor has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Anthony McOwen will get credit for the time he’s spent in the Douglas County Jail since his arrest on Sept. 29, 2010, the day 62-year-old Ben Walker was killed in a property dispute.

Originally charged with murder, McOwen pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter last Friday.

The Roseburg News-Review reports (http://is.gd/pQ1Tdn) that defense and prosecution both told Judge Frances Burge on Wednesday why they agreed to a plea deal.

A dispute had simmered between the men for several years over McOwen’s access to his property outside of Riddle, Ore. The property was surrounded by Walker’s property.

The defense had planned to argue that McOwen suffers from brain damage after being abused as a child and reacted in self-defense to a situation he couldn’t comprehend. Walker was shot six times.

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Information from: The News-Review, http://www.nrtoday.com

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