After he initially pleaded not guilty of first-degree murder for killing Zai Rodriguez-Irizarry, Christopher O’Connell pled guilty to a lesser charge Wednesday.
County Attorney Scott Sweat said in Utah, that comes with a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, which will be determined in February.
O’Connell was arrested in July 2021 after Zai was shot through her bedroom wall and killed in her bed. O’Connell lived next door. He has been held without bail in the Wasatch County Jail since then.
He initially faced four felonies and four misdemeanors in Fourth District Court under Judge Jennifer Mabey, formerly Judge Jennifer Brown, in Heber City. As part of the deal for O’Connell to plead guilty to manslaughter, seven other charges were dropped.
The plea eliminates the need for a trial that was scheduled for 2023. O’Connell is now scheduled for a sentencing hearing on February 15.
The dropped felony charges were for discharge of a firearm, felony possession of a weapon by a restricted person, and distribution of a controlled substance.
O’Connell’s lawyers did not respond to requests for comment by KPCW.
Last June, Mabey denied a request by O’Connell to be released from jail to a sober living community while he awaited trial. She said she denied the request in part because he was a flight risk and would pose a danger to the public if released.
