PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A Portland man whose attorneys say he was too drunk to understand what he was doing when he fatally shot his wife last year has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports (https://bit.ly/2bkbkkC ) that 58-year-old John Grant Coffey was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty to manslaughter as part of plea deal.
Coffey had a blood-alcohol level more than three times the legal limit for driving when he shot and killed his 42-year-old wife, Samantha, in April 2015.
His attorneys argued the killing wasn’t intentional and pointed to a recording of a 911 call in which Coffey reported the shooting and can be heard with slurred speech.
Coffey had been arrested multiple times during the couple’s 15-year marriage for violence in their relationship.
Coffey apologized in court Thursday, saying there’s no one to blame but himself.
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Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, https://www.oregonlive.com
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