RAPID CITY, S.D. – A South Dakota man accused of stabbing another man to death using a bayonet has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Authorities accused 27-year-old Joseph Rich of killing 21-year-old Juan Legarda Jr. on New Year's Day in Rapid City by stabbing him five times with the bayonet, a blade attached to the muzzle end of a gun.
The stabbing happened after Rich's brother became involved in a fight with other men outside Rich's home. Rich maintained he was protecting his home and family.
Rich pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter in May, in a deal with prosecutors that spared him from a possible life sentence.
He was sentenced Monday to a decade behind bars and given credit for the half a year he's already spent in prison.
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