Philbert Rentz. Photo from Salt Lake County Jail
A member of the Navajo Nation pleaded guilty on Monday in connection with a fatal shooting on the Utah portion of the reservation. Philbert Rentz, 29, admitted to voluntary manslaughter for the death of Tedrick Francis in July 2011. He also pleaded guilty last month to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Rentz will be sentenced to six to eight years in prison, according to news reports. That's shorter than what he would have faced had he been convicted of several other charges that were dismissed as part of the plea deal. Rentz's case went to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals twice due to a dispute over some of the charges in his original indictment. He won the latest round, which prompted federal prosecutors to file a superseding indictment in April. Get the Story:
Navajo pleads guilty in Utah reservation shooting death (The Salt Lake Tribune 5/5)
Man pleads guilty in Navajo Nation killing (The Deseret News 5/5) 10th Circuit Decision:
US v. Rentz (February 3, 2015)
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