Charges reduced in Freakfest Halloween homicide

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Charges have been reduced for a woman accused of fatally shooting a man during Madison’s Freakfest Halloween celebration last year.

Twenty-two-year-old Kenyairra Gadson was initially charged with first-degree intentional homicide in the death of 21-year-old Steven Villegas who was killed in a city parking ramp in October 2018.

Dane County Assistant District Attorney Tracy McMiller says the reduced charge of first-degree reckless homicide limits Gadson’s bid to justify the shooting as self-defense. Gadson’s attorney calls the move “gamesmanship.”

The State Journal reports Gadson told police she didn’t know Villegas and had only fired the gun to scare a group of adversaries away from her and another person.

First-degree intentional homicide carries a mandatory life sentence. First-degree reckless homicide carries a maximum of 60 years of combined prison and extended supervision.