Norwood Man Pleads Guilty To Quincy Killing Over Spilled Beer

QUINCY, MA — A Norwood man was sentenced to five and a half to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to beating his friend to death after an argument over spilled beer, the Patriot Ledger reported. Joseph Cotto-Berrio, 29, was charged with manslaughter and witness intimidation. He was also sentenced nine months after pleading guilty to assault and battery.

Prosecutors said Cotto-Berrio assaulted 32-year-old Brian Bubanas, who was homeless at the time, in Cotto-Berrio's girlfriend's Quincy apartment in October 2017. Medical assistance was not sought until about an hour later when the Bubanas did not regain consciousness. He was taken to Quincy Medical Center and died from his injuries.

Court records reviewed by the Patriot Ledger indicate that the fight between Cotto-Berrio and Bubanas started over a spilled beer.

Police said Cotto-Berrio tried to get his girlfriend, who was in the room at the time, to change her story and warned her that if she told anyone about what he was doing, he would get charged with witness intimidation.