SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah teen says he did not know a gun was loaded when he shot and killed his stepbrother.
The Deseret News reported Wednesday that the teenager plead guilty to second-degree manslaughter Wednesday.
Authorities say 16-year-old Jerrad Jacobsen died from the gunshot at a home in the Salt Lake City suburb of Kearns March 18.
Authorities say a deal with the state stipulates the teen, who was not named, will be held in a secure juvenile detention facility.
Prosecutors say the boy told police he believed the gun was unloaded, a factor limiting options for charging him.
The teenager says he was also under the influence of drugs.
Jacobsen’s mother told the judge she disagrees with the teen spending only three to six months in detention.
