A Coquille man pleaded guilty Friday to reckless endangering in connection with his neighbor's suicide.

Ronald Wilson, 46, had been facing a criminally negligent homicide charge, but he agreed to plead to the class A misdemeanor in a deal with the Coos County district attorney's office. The original charge stemmed from a Nov. 10 incident in which Coquille resident Patricia Ann Shaw died in Wilson's house, after Coquille police officers found her suffering from gunshot wounds.

Coos County District Attorney R. Paul Frasier said Wilson had maintained since the beginning of the investigation that Shaw had shot herself. But Frasier and area police needed more proof.

"There were some things that didn't quite add up," Frasier said.

Wilson was not arrested at the time, but a Coos County grand jury indicted him on the charge of criminally negligent homicide on Feb. 6.

Frasier said the .45-caliber handgun used to kill Shaw appeared to have been moved and tampered with before police arrived on the scene. Frasier had investigators scoured the scene, performed ballistics testing on the gun and asked a blood-spatter expert to examine blood on Shaw's right hand.

"The blood spatter on her hand was absolutely consistent  with her shooting herself," Frasier said.

The DA said the investigation led to this reconstruction of events:

nÊThe pair, who were friends, had been target shooting the afternoon before and decided to go back to Wilson's home for drinks and a movie.

nÊFrasier said Shaw had quite a few drinks, and she and Wilson got in an argument over religion.

nÊThe argument got heated, and Shaw said she felt as though she could kill Wilson and not feel bad about it.

nÊFrasier said Wilson then found the handgun, loaded it with one round and put it in front of Shaw.

nÊShe picked it up and shot herself.

Frasier said the reckless endangering charge reflects Wilson's involvement in Shaw's death.

"He engaged in this action knowing this woman was emotional and intoxicated and put the gun in her possession," Frasier said.

Wilson entered the guilty plea before Judge Michael Gillespie  in Coos County Circuit Court. He will be sentenced on July 13. The charge carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a $6,250 fine.