FORT SMITH — A Fort Smith man has been convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 45 years in prison for the shooting death of his neighbor last year.
Sebastian County prosecutors had charged Glen Eric Nelson Jr. with first-degree murder in the April 30 death of 28-year-old April Stephens, but the jury convicted Nelson of the lesser offense on Wednesday.
According to police reports, Nelson told investigators that Stephens and several others were at his apartment drinking and playing games that night, and the next thing he remembered was going outside to check on Stephens. The Southwest Times Record reports that in a written statement, Nelson said he accidentally shot her.
During his sentencing, Nelson told the judge he had given his "life to God" while in jail.