HICKORY, N.C. — James David Houser, a 30-year-old man from Hickory, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the July 4 shooting death of 30-year-old Mary Elizabeth Ervin at a Hickory motel.
[ PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Arrest made in deadly July 4th motel shooting in Hickory ]
Houser was initially facing a murder charge and has been sentenced to five years of supervised probation.
According to the Hickory Daily Record, police were called to the Deluxe Inn off U.S. Highway 70 on July 4 around 6:30 p.m. When they arrived, they found a dead woman in one of the rooms.
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