HARTFORD — Prosecutors have dropped a murder charge against a Hartford man accused of fatally shooting a man during an alleged drug deal.
The Hartford Courant reports 26-year-old Zachary Alexander pleaded guilty under a plea deal Wednesday to criminal possession of a firearm. He’ll be sentenced to five years in prison on Dec. 7.
Alexander has been jailed since his January arrest.
Prosecutors said 22-year-old Edison Burge was armed with a BB gun when he and another man tried to rob Alexander after arranging to buy marijuana from him in December. They said Alexander then shot and killed Burge.
Alexander’s lawyer said he planned to argue self-defense at trial. Prosecutor Anthony Bochicchio told the judge he didn’t believe he could win a murder conviction because self-defense would be a significant issue.
