A man from Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico was sentenced to 6 1/2 years for murdering his 71-year-old mother.

Louis P. Romero admitted to killing his mother, Maria Sophia Romero, with an ax and burning her body in a stove. He pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, saying the death was an accident.

Federal prosecutors sought to impose a harsh sentence on Romero, citing his criminal record. But the judge said he was constrained by a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that does not allow upward enhancements unless the aggravating factors are admitted by the accused or proven by a jury.

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Son Who Murdered His Mother Gets 6 1/2 Years (The Albuquerque Journal 11/19)