A man accused of firing a pistol in the air to celebrate the new year in 2008 pleaded guilty today to two counts of manslaughter in the deaths of a 47-year-old woman and her 11-year-old niece.
The single bullet fired by Pedro Cortez, 27, entered a home at 4708 W. 11th Ave. in Denver, where it struck Rebecca Yanez and her niece, Angelica Martinez. They were celebrating New Year’s Eve with family and friends.
Cortez was initially charged with two counts of first-degree murder with extreme indifference. He also was charged with possession of a weapon by a previous offender and illegally firing a weapon.
He will be sentenced July 10, where he could receive probation or up to 24 years in prison.
Cortez told detectives that he fired a single bullet from a .44-magnum handgun at a streetlight.
