A murder trial in a 31-year-old Fort Worth slaying case has ended with a plea deal.
A trial for 50-year-old Benjamin Bewley was entering a third day Thursday when attorneys said they'd reached an agreement where Bewley would plead guilty to the 1983 slaying of pawnshop owner Melvin Lavine during a robbery at his home. State District Judge Louis Sturns then sentenced Bewley to 15 years in prison.
Bewley's lawyer tells the Fort Worth Star-Telegram he'll become eligible for parole in five years.
DNA evidence found on a piece of broken glass door from Lavine's home tied Bewley to the slaying scene. At the time of his arrest last year, he was in a jail in Taylor County on a drunken driving charge.
