A Tracy man has been convicted of voluntary manslaughter for fatally shooting his friend after a frog-hunting trip in Brentwood during which both men were high on methamphetamine.
Jared Alger, 30, faces more than 20 years in prison in the shooting death of Steve Goodmanson, 40, on Aug. 27, 2006.
Prosecutor Gerald Chang told a Contra Costa County Superior Court jury in Martinez that Alger should be convicted of murdering Goodmanson during an argument and kidnapping his girlfriend, with whom Alger once had a relationship.
But Alger's attorney, Deputy Public Defender Elizabeth Barker, said Goodmanson had provoked Alger by pointing a .22-caliber rifle at him. Alger pushed it away and the gun went off, killing Goodmanson, she said.
"The bottom line is it never should have been charged as murder," Barker said Thursday. "At worst, it was manslaughter."
The men were among a group of friends out hunting for bullfrogs, rabbits and coyotes, Barker said. Both Alger and Goodmanson had been using methamphetamine, she said.
After deliberating for eight days, the jury acquitted Alger on Wednesday of kidnapping and felony assault charges in connection with Goodmanson's girlfriend but convicted him of the lesser charges of false imprisonment and misdemeanor assault.
Alger has been agonizing over the shooting, Barker said.
"He feels horrible," the defense attorney said. "He will feel horrible for the rest of his life."
Chang said, "I am disappointed with the verdict, but respect the jury's decision."
Judge John Laettner will sentence Alger on July 31.
