Guns are not toys or jokes

A man blamed for hotel gunplay that left his best friend dead apologized for the shooting before he was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

On Monday, a San Antonio judge accepted the plea agreement for Justin Cardenas, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

The case involved the July 24, 2008 death of Justin Halsell, who was shot once in the head with his own gun.

Cardenas told investigators that the pair had checked into the Emily Morgan Hotel for a get-together with friends, when Halsell took the clip out of the gun and put it to his head.

Cardenas said his friend taunted him to pull the trigger. Cardenas did, thinking it was a joke.

Attorneys for Cardenas, who faced a maximum 16 years in prison, sought probation.

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