Woman begins sentence for vigilante killing
DADE CITY (AP) – A Pasco County woman will begin serving a 10-year prison sentence for fatally shooting a man she believed molested her mentally retarded daughter.
Sylvia Neeley reported to court as ordered on Thursday.
The 48-year-old Neeley had been facing a murder charge but pleaded guilty Sept. 30 to a lesser charge of manslaughter.
That prison term will be reduced by four years she already served after an earlier conviction that was overturned.
Prosecutors say that in May 1998 Neeley shot her neighbor, 73-year-old Arthur Danner, several times with a .357-caliber revolver, went home to reload her gun and returned to shoot him in the groin.
She said Danner had bragged about molesting her then-12-year-old daughter.