AURORA, Colo.—A jury has convicted an Aurora man of manslaughter in a September 2007 killing that police described as a drug deal gone bad.
Prosecutors had sought a first-degree murder charge against 23-year-old Ashton Steel in the death of Eric Preston, who was fatally shot near an Aurora apartment complex.
Jurors found him guilty of the lesser charge Friday. Sentencing is set for April 20.
Steel’s attorneys argued self-defense.
They said Steel and a friend met Preston in an SUV outside an apartment building and were planning to sell him marijuana when one of Preston’s accomplices approached and fired shots into the vehicle.
Steel’s attorneys said Steel feared for his life when he fired at the unidentified man and at Preston.
Prosecutors maintain it was Steel and his friend who planned to rob and kill Preston. They say Preston was shot six times.
