(July 4, 2008)--A Central Texas man who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the accidental shooting death of a 7-year-old neighbor who was jumping on a trampoline has been sentenced to eight years in prison.
Jose Barrera Espitia told investigators he was target shooting in the backyard of his rural Hays County home in April 2007 when he accidentally shot and killed the boy.
Espitia said he did not see Daniel Galicia jumping on the trampoline in his backyard before firing the .22-caliber rifle.
Galicia died within an hour of being shot.
Espitia's home is about a third of a mile from where the boy was playing with other children in his cousin's backyard.
The area east of Kyle has a mix of farmland and mobile homes.
The Galicia family had asked for a tougher sentence for Espitia.
Manslaughter carries a maximum state prison sentence of 20 years.
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