WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — A Sturbridge man who sucker punched another man during a poker tournament, leading to his death days later, has been sentenced to up to three years in prison.
James Walsh was sentenced Tuesday in Worcester Superior Court after pleading guilty in December to voluntary manslaughter.
Prosecutors say the 41-year-old Walsh punched 45-year-old Daniel McDonald in the face during a poker tournament in March 2012 at the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Southbridge, because Walsh mistakenly believed McDonald made an off-color remark about the defendant’s girlfriend.
McDonald suffered skull and brain injuries when his head hit the concrete floor, and died eight days later in the hospital.
The Telegram & Gazette reports that Walsh’s attorney said his client was remorseful.
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