Published: May 20, 2008 07:45 pm      

Local man pleads guilty to voluntary manslaughter

PRINCETON — A Bluefield man facing first-degree murder in the 2007 shooting death of a another Bluefield resident entered into a plea agreement Tuesday in Mercer County Circuit Court.

Ronald Jerome Finney, Sr., also known as R.J., 53, pleaded guilty before Judge Derek Swope to a felony charge of voluntary manslaughter. Finney was indicted in February on first-degree murder in the Oct. 31, 2007 shooting of Donald Lamont Greene, 32, of Bluefield. Greene died as the result of a gunshot wound to the chest.

Judge Swope said during Tuesday’s hearing that Finney has stated that he fired at Greene in self defense.

“I was in fear of my life,” Finney said. By pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter, Finney normally would face a determinate sentence of 3 to 10 years imprisonment. The fact a firearm was used in the case means that Finney must serve at least 5 years, said Assistant Prosecuting Attorney George Sitler. If Finney is sentenced to 15 years, he would be eligible for parole in 5 years.

Judge Swope scheduled sentencing for July 2 pending a presentencing report. Finney was remanded to the Southern Regional Jail near Beckley.

In a statement made Oct. 31, 2007 to Detective Cpl. Samuel S. Whitt and Sgt. Ted Jones of the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, Finney admitted to shooting Greene during an attempt to purchase crack cocaine. Finney said that he and a female companion went to Greene’s home to purchase drugs, but Greene would not allow him inside the house because Greene believed Finney owned him money.

Finney said in the statement that he waited outside, and that Greene later came up to him, threatened him, and “he acted like he had something in his pocket, so I just shot him,” adding that he fired a second time when Greene “then tried to get something out.”

Greene was shot three times, according to the record in Finney’s court file. Judge Swope denied a defense motion April 9 to suppress the statement.