HAGATNA, Guam (AP) - A Guam man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for shooting his girlfriend after an argument about burned rice in 2013.
Clifford San Nicolas was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty to charges of manslaughter and possession of a deadly weapon, the Pacific Daily News reported .
Valene Borja was shot in the neck and died from complications a year after the attack. The bullet had struck her spinal cord, paralyzing her from the neck down, according to court documents.
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San Nicolas told authorities that he had been awake for five to six days on a drug binge on the day of the shooting, according to court documents.
San Nicolas was sentenced to life in prison after he was found guilty at a 2015 trial of intentional murder, reckless murder, family violence and possession of a firearm without an identification card.
He appealed his case, and the Supreme Court of Guam granted him a new trial in 2016, finding faults with his court proceedings. The justices found that the lower court should have asked jurors if they had seen news reporting during the trial about San Nicolas’ past convictions. Jurors are instructed not to do independent research during trials.
A second trial was skipped after San Nicolas reached a plea agreement with prosecutors.
San Nicolas will be eligible for parole after serving 80 percent of his sentence, attorney John Terlaje said. San Nicolas also received credit for about five years he has been incarcerated.
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