ROCHESTER (AP) -- A western New York teenager has admitted killing a friend during a version of Russian roulette in which they took turns firing a .44-caliber revolver at each other from about a foot away.
Nathan Novak pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter Monday in exchange for four-to-six years in prison. Sentencing was set for Dec. 1.
Investigators say 24-year-old Michael Phillips was shot in the chest on July 12, 2010, inside Novak's home in rural Wheatland, 15 miles southwest of Rochester. Novak was 18 years old at the time.
A defense lawyer said Novak, who was originally charged with murder, agreed to the plea deal in part to spare Phillips' family the ordeal of revisiting the slaying.
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