2 Plead Guilty In Baton Rouge Man’s 2002 Death

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A man and a woman have pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges in the 2002 beating death of a Baton Rouge man.

The Advocate reports state District Judge Mike Erwin said Thursday he will sentence Dana Lynn Smith of Baton Rouge and Melvin Toups of Donaldsonville on Jan. 29.

Under the terms of their plea bargain agreements, Smith and Toups will not be sentenced to more than 25 years in prison in the slaying of 47-year-old Nelson Dunbar.

Prosecutor Barry Fontenot said that Smith gave Toups a key to Dunbar's trailer so that Toups could steal marijuana from the trailer.

While Toups was doing that, the prosecutor said, a sleeping Dunbar awoke and a fight broke out between the two men.

Fontenot said Dunbar died of internal head injuries.