Man to prison for punch that killed neighbor who intervened
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A western Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to up to three years in prison for punches that killed a neighbor trying to break up an argument between the defendant and a woman.
Thirty-one-year-old Danny Washington, of Turtle Creek, was sentenced to 18 to 36 months in prison on Thursday, and given credit for 10 months he’s already spent in jail.
Washington was sentenced after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter for punching 58-year-old James Payne in the face on July 25. That’s when police say Payne tried to break up a fight between Washington and his girlfriend.
The punches caused Payne to fall onto an iron railing on his front steps. Payne refused medical treatment, not knowing he had a brain injury, then never woke up after falling asleep later that day. He died two days later.