SOUTH BEND, Ind. – A South Bend man admitted that he fatally beat his 77-year-old landlord with a baseball bat.
Forty-six-year-old Paul Fine pleaded guilty to murder charges Wednesday in a St. Joseph County court for the March 12 death of Minerva Barnes, with whom he shared a house.
Authorities said Fine called police and reported he had found Barnes covered in blood when he returned from a trip to a nearby convenience store.
Fine's plea agreement with prosecutors calls for him to face a prison sentence of 55 years to 65 years. Prosecutors dropped habitual offender charges, which could have added 30 years to his sentence.
A judge scheduled Fine's sentencing for Jan. 6.
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