Guilty plea means probation for barber's killer
Sunday, March 26, 2000 | 4:51 a.m.
Washoe District Judge Jerry Polaha on Friday suspended a 12-year prison sentence for Rachel McAlister, who earlier pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter.
Polaha said her previous 220 days in the county jail had been enough time behind bars, and she'll remain free if she complies with the terms of her five-year probation.
A jury in November 1998 convicted McAlister of second-degree murder, which carries a life sentence. But Senior Judge Norm Robison set aside the verdict and granted her a new trial.
Before the new trial, she pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in a plea bargain with prosecutors.
McAlister fatally shot barber Maurice McAlister, 33, during a family argument outside Greenbrae Lanes.
She claimed the shooting was an accident, but police said she fired twice with a pistol. Her uncle was struck once in the chest.
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