A North Little Rock man who told police he accidentally killed his roommate pleaded guilty to murder Thursday.
In exchange for a 25-year prison sentence from Pulaski County Circuit Judge Herb Wright, Sabas Guerrero Bautista, 49, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for killing 51-year-old Cesar Morales Martinez in April 2012 inside the West 24th Street home the men shared with two other men.
Martinez's body was found wrapped in two trash bags inside the residence, police said.
Bautista was arrested the same day the killing was discovered by police who had been called to the home to investigate a report of suspicious activity.
Bautista told police he and Martinez had fought over a dominoes game and that he had pulled a gun to scare off the other man, but the weapon accidentally fired, according to police testimony from an earlier proceeding.
Investigators said Bautista, speaking through a translator, claimed that Martinez had thrown him to the ground and that he had gone to his bedroom, retrieved a pistol from under his mattress and gone back to confront Martinez.
Bautista's lawyers had initially indicated he would plead self-defense, although prosecutors contended there was no proof the victim had been armed and said Bautista had not called the police after the shooting.
The gun was found under Bautista's mattress, police said.
Bautista will have to serve 17½ years in prison. He also faces potential immigration proceedings because his residency status has been questioned by federal authorities.
Metro on 09/19/2014