Defendants plead guilty in NLR shooting case

— A man charged in a North Little Rock shooting death has pleaded guilty in federal court.

Durrell Alexander Hill, 21, pleaded guilty to three counts of aiding and abetting his associate, Labrons Dominique Ellington, 21, in the possession of a firearm in furtherance of a federal drug trafficking crime, the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas said in a news release. Ellington had entered a guilty plea for the same charges on Sept. 11. The victim, who was not named in the release, was killed after a drug transaction with Hill and Ellington went wrong.

In the incident, Ellington had agreed to sell a certain quantity of marijuana to the victim before the situation turned deadly. In the early hours on May 24, 2011, the victim entered the North Little Rock residence and pointed a gun at Ellington's head. Hill pulled his own .40-caliber handgun and fired 14 rounds at the victim, killing him. The victim did not fire any rounds, the release states.

North Little Rock police responded to the scene, where they found the victim's body in the back seat of a car along with Hill and Ellington. Authorities also found crack cocaine, digital scales, cash, pills and marijuana.

The crimes carry a sentence of 10 years to life in prison, with a $250,000 fine for both men. The plea agreement reached by both parties requires a sentence of 15 years in prison for both men. Sentencing will be set at a later date.

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