Syracuse, N.Y. - A Syracuse man who was involved in a shooting that killed a 12 year old boy has taken a plea deal.
Alberto Pinet was facing murder charges for the death of James Springer, III, a Grant Middle School student who was shot and killed last October.
Prosecutors say Pinet ordered Johanen Pizzaro to shoot Springer's Step Mom in retaliation for an earlier incident that day. The boy was never the target.
Instead of going to trial next week, Pinet has pleaded guilty to a weapons charge and faces 12 years in prison. He had faced 25 years to fe.
Pizzaro is still scheduled to stand trial next week on murder charges.
Meanwhile Anthony Rodriguez who was the getaway driver, and was suppose to be a key witness in that shooting death of the 12-year-old, now faces murder charges himself after he backed out of a plea deal.
Rodriguez was promised a plea to illegal weapon possession, saving him the possibility of decades in prison but he changed his mind and now prosecutors have charged him with muder.
Instead of a certain prison sentence of no more than 15 years, Rodriguez instead will face up to 25 years to life in prison, if convicted.