SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- A Utah teenager pleaded guilty Monday to killing a referee at an amateur soccer match in exchange for serving time in a juvenile facility until he is 21.
The 17-year-old defendant, whose name was withheld, pleaded guilty in a Salt Lake City courtroom to a homicide charge in the death of referee Ricardo Portillo, who died a week after being punched in an on-field altercation on April 17.
Third District Judge Kimberly Hornak ordered the teen to hang a photo of Portillo on the wall of his cell and write a letter to the Portillo family every week as a condition of his sentencing.
The teen admitted in court Monday he had been "frustrated" while playing in the match and struck Portillo, causing his death.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported the plea avoided a possible five-year maximum sentence in an adult prison.
