Prosecutors reach plea deal on murder accessory charge

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) – An Allen man accused of lying to federal authorities and being an accessory to a slaying on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation last year is expected to change his plea to guilty this week.

In exchange for the plea, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will drop the accessory charge for Nathaniel Waters.

The FBI says Waters lied about being inside his mobile home when it caught fire in October 2017. The body of his 24-year-old nephew, Ray Waters Jr., was later found inside the burned home.

An autopsy concluded that he died before the fire of injuries likely caused by an ax. A juvenile is charged with second-degree murder in the death.

AP-WF-01-22-19 1301GMT