Fla. man accused of killing father with Alzheimer’s reaches plea deal, may avoid prison
By Matt Sedensky, APThursday, November 12, 2009
Plea deal reached in Fla. Alzheimer’s killing case
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The lawyer for a South Florida man charged with murder for allegedly dragging his dementia-plagued father into the ocean says his client has reached a plea deal.
Attorney Michael Weinstein says 53-year-old Bobby Yurkanin (YUR’kuh-nun) of Fort Lauderdale will plead guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree manslaughter Friday in exchange for a sentence of no more than 15 years probation.
The deal would require a judge’s approval. Prosecutors wouldn’t comment.
After it was apparent Yurkanin’s 84-year-old father was in distress during the June 2007 incident, bystanders called 911, but the son told dispatchers no help was needed. His attorney says he was crumbling under the intense stress of being his father’s sole caretaker.
