MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) – A judge gave a Muncie man the maximum six-year sentence after he pleaded guilty to reckless homicide in a fatal shooting.
Twenty-four-year-old Jason Hoskins was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to reckless homicide in the July 5 death of 38-year-old Robert Lee Smith.
Delaware Circuit Judge John Feick said he reluctantly accepted Hoskins' plea. The Star Press reports Smith's father and widow renewed their opposition to the plea deal during Wednesday's hearing.
Hoskins initially was charged with murder. Prosecutors said they filed the reckless homicide charge after two witnesses who had linked Hoskins to the slaying recanted their original statements to police.
Hoskins didn't make a formal statement during the hearing. His aunt and the mother of his two children testified he was an attentive father.
