Man Gets 8-Year Prison Term In Boy's Death

UPDATED: 2:07 pm CDT July 4, 2008 SAN MARCOS, Texas -- A Central Texas man who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the accidental shooting death of his 7-year-old neighbor has received an eight-year prison sentence. Jose Barrera Espitia told investigators that he was target shooting in the backyard of his rural Hays County home in April 2007 when he accidentally hit and killed the boy, who was jumping on a trampoline. Espitia said he did not see Daniel Galicia jumping on a trampoline in his back yard before firing the .22-caliber rifle. Galicia died within an hour of being shot. Espitia's home is about one-third of a mile from where the boy was playing with other children in his cousin's backyard. The area east of Kyle has a mix of farmland and mobile homes. The Galicia family had asked for a tougher sentence for Espitia, who... [read full story]