One of three men accused of shooting a Tucson father of three to death in March 2006 pleaded guilty to burglary Wednesday as part of a sealed plea agreement.
Joseph Daniel Smith, 28, is facing anywhere from seven to 21 years in prison as a result of his guilty plea, said Rick Unklesbay, chief trial counsel for the Pima County Attorney's Office.
Smith admitted he and two other men broke into Steve Anaya's home near South 12th Avenue and West Valencia Road to look for drugs or money.
One of Smith's co-defendants, Dennis Bernard Harvey, has also been offered a plea agreement. He is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 17.
The other suspect, Efren Uribe Retana, 29, killed himself as police tried to arrest him seven months later. Detectives believe Retana was the actual shooter, Unklesbay said.
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At the time of Anaya's death, Tucson police Sgt. Mark Robinson said Anaya was shot after he confronted three masked and armed men when they burst into his home around 2 a.m.
Anaya's 23-year-old daughter, 18-year-old son and 2-year-old granddaughter were also home at the time.
Robinson said the motive for the home invasion was to steal drugs, but there were no drugs in the home, nor any evidence of any drugs having been there, he said.
Anaya, 42, worked at the Asarco Mission mine for 18 years
When Retana killed himself, there were two first-degree-murder warrants out for his arrest.
In addition to being identified as a suspect in Anaya's death, police said Retana was wanted in connection with a South Side shooting in which Jerrica Nuanez, 19, was killed while sitting with a friend in a car in a strip mall parking lot in the 6100 block of South Nogales Highway.
Pima County Superior Court Judge Frank Dawley will sentence Smith Jan. 28.
