http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nevada/2005/sep/23/092310408.htmlLAS VEGAS (AP) - Murder and attempted murder charges would be dropped against an Iraq war veteran accused of using an assault rifle to kill a woman and wound a man if he completes Veterans Affairs counseling, according to a plea deal made public Friday.
"This was self-defense; they fired at him first," Chief Deputy District Attorney Chris Owens said before Matthew Sepi, 20, told a Las Vegas judge that he agreed to the plea deal. Sepi said he will plead guilty to carrying a concealed weapon, a gross misdemeanor, and no contest to possession of a weapon, a felony.
The reduced charges would be dismissed if Sepi completes at least 90 days of inpatient drug and alcohol counseling at a Veteran's Affairs center in Prescott, Ariz., and at least seven weeks of combat trauma counseling at another VA center in Topeka, Kan. snip
Ratcliff fired at least one shot at Sepi with a 9 mm handgun before Sepi pulled an AK-47 assault rifle from beneath his coat and fired at least six shots, Owens said. Jackson, 47, was killed and Ratcliff, 36, was wounded in the legs. Authorities had earlier reported Ratcliff's age as 26.
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