A 57-year-old man is facing between seven and 18 years in prison after admitting Monday that he stomped another man to death last December.
Harold Marquart is scheduled to be sentenced on a manslaughter charge on Nov. 9 by Judge Richard Fields in Pima County Superior Court.
Daniel Willis, 40, was found dead in the front yard of a home in the 2300 block of East Eastland Street, near East 22nd Street and South Tucson Boulevard, on Dec. 6, court documents indicate.
Marquart and Robert J. Hines, 24, admitted they were with Willis when he was attacked. Marquart told police that Hines punched and kicked Willis, and Hines said Marquart assaulted Willis, according to court documents. Hines entered an identical plea agreement last month.
During that hearing, Hines' attorney, Jill Thorpe, said Hines, Willis and Marquart had been drinking heavily when a "play fight" between Willis and Marquart turned serious.
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Hines joined Marquart in stomping Willis on the face and head before getting scared and fleeing, Thorpe said. When Hines left, Willis was still alive, she said.
In a letter to the Arizona Daily Star, Hines said he was coerced into participating in the assault.
Hines is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 27.
Marquart was released from the Arizona State Prison five days before the slaying after serving 4 1/2 years on an aggravated-assault charge, according to prison records.
