Man pleads guilty to murder

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - A South Bend man will spend 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to beating another man to death with a cinder block.

The South Bend Tribune reports that Dewange Dotson pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. The state in turn agreed to drop a murder charge against Dotson.

The 41-year-old was charged in the August 2008 beating death of 48-year-old Larry Leonard during a dispute related to a woman. Records show Leonard died from internal bleeding caused by blunt force trauma to the torso.

Dotson received the recommended sentence of 50 years in prison, with 10 years suspended, on Thursday. He also will be required to submit to a substance abuse treatment program and evaluation.