BEND, Ore. -- A Bend teenager has accepted a plea deal in which he will likely spend 7 1/2 years in prison for fatally stabbing his mother's live-in boyfriend with a samurai sword.
Kaleb Brown maintained his innocence for a year after the killing, but the 17-year-old accepted an Alford plea Wednesday on the charges of criminally negligent homicide and unlawful use of a weapon.
Under an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt, only that the evidence would likely lead to a conviction.
The medical examiner said the victim, 38-year-old Tracy Rost, had a blood alcohol level of three times the legal limit, and Brown's relatives say the stabbing was in self-defense.
Prosecutors say Rost's family is not happy with the plea deal.
Sentencing is set for Dec. 7.
