SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- A southwest Missouri man has been sentenced to probation in the fatal shooting of his uncle.
The Springfield News-Leader reports that Judge David Jones described the sentencing Wednesday of 31-year-old Preston Watts as his "most difficult." Watts pleaded guilty previously to a reduced charge of first-degree involuntary manslaughter in the November 2015 killing of 38-year-old Jonathan McCrary in Springfield.
Watts' attorney says McCrary had a history of violence and that Watts was acting in self-defense.
Prosecutors say the shooting followed an argument about money that led to 911 being called and McCrary leaving the home the men shared. Officers responded and were looking for McCrary when he returned to the home. The defense says Watts fired when McCrary pulled something from his jacket that turned out to be a phone.