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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Boise man pleads guilty in friend’s stabbing death

Associated Press

BOISE, Idaho – A 26-year-old Boise man charged with the stabbing death of his roommate has reached a plea deal with prosecutors.

KTVB-TV reports that Michael Ryan Downs pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree murder Tuesday. An initial charge of first-degree murder and other drug charges were dismissed as part of the agreement.

Downs was arrested in January after stabbing 26-year-old Daniel Ridgeway at a home they shared in the Boise foothills. Ridgeway was taken to a hospital and died three months later from complications of the wound.

Downs told the judge Tuesday he stabbed Ridgeway while under the influence of methamphetamine and said he had been having “very irrational beliefs” about the victim at the time.

Prosecutors are seeking a 40-year prison sentence for Downs.