Man Pleads Guilty In Shooting Death, Gets 17½ To 40 Years

Follow KDKA-TV: Facebook | Twitter

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A man has pleaded guilty to a murder charge in the death of a man shot three times in the face in Pittsburgh a year ago, a slaying he told investigators was accidental.

Nineteen-year-old Kenneth Murphy pleaded guilty Monday in Allegheny County Court to third-degree murder and robbery. He was sentenced to 17½ to 40 years in prison.

Authorities said Murphy shot and killed 20-year-old Christopher Rodriguez in August 2016 in Pittsburgh. Police said he told them he was trying to buy a revolver from the victim and believed it was unloaded when he handled it, but it went off accidentally. He said he kept pulling the trigger thinking the other chambers were empty.

Investigators said Murphy told them that the two had been friends since the sixth grade.

(Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)