BUTLER, Pa.—A western Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to 20 to 40 years in the shooting death of a longtime friend that he said was accidental.
Twenty-year-old Eric Rutledge was convicted of third-degree murder in February in the November 2010 death of 18-year-old Courtney Daily.
Rutledge testified that he and Daily had handed the shotgun back and forth, discussing whether either of them would be able to shoot someone.
Defense attorney Alex Lindsay sought leniency, saying Rutledge did not intend to kill Daily. He noted that they had ordered pizza minutes earlier.
Daily, of Colorado Springs, Colo., was visiting Rutledge’s home in Seven Fields, about 20 miles north of Pittsburgh.
The Butler Eagle says Rutledge expressed remorse at Tuesday’s sentencing over the death of his friend and apologized to her family.
