CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug. 15 (UPI) -- The wife of former NFL running back Fred Lane is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty of involuntary manslaughter in his death.
A report Friday in the Charlotte (N.C.) Observer indicated Deidra Lane offered a tear-filled plea and apology in court on Thursday.
"I would like to apologize to the Lane family," she said. "I'm sorry for the loss and the pain this has caused."
Lane was killed in the shotgun death of her husband on July 6, 2000 at the couple's home. The paper said the guilty plea abruptly climaxed a high-profile three-year case that centered on whether Fred Lane's killing was premeditated or an act of self-defense. It came less than two weeks before Deidra Lane was to go on trial for her life.
If convicted of first-degree murder, Deidra Lane would have been sentenced to either life in prison without parole or death.
The maximum punishment for voluntary manslaughter is 19 years in prison.
