GREELEY – A Greeley man has pleaded to reduced charges for killing a woman when his homemade cannon exploded in 2016.
Max Fenton, 31, had been charged with felony involuntary manslaughter in the accident, but on Friday he entered a submitted a written plea to misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter in Delaware County District Court in Manchester.
The charge carries up to two years in prison, and sentencing will be at a later date with no agreement on the outcome.
The cannon was made from the sawed-off barrel of a .50-caliber black powder rifle, and when it was detonated, the rear blew out, showering Lori Heims, 55, with fragments. She was struck in the head and later died at a hospital.
Fenton is also facing a lawsuit brought by Heims’ estate. Trial in the civil case is scheduled for October.