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Bassel Saad, 37, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter
in February for causing the death of referee John Bieniewicz,
44, who Saad struck in the neck or throat during a game in
Livonia, Michigan, last June.
Saad, a native of Lebanon who lives in Dearborn, Michigan, is
not a U.S. citizen and could be deported following his
conviction, Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Timothy Kenny said
in accepting a plea agreement with prosecutors. Saad had
originally faced a charge of second-degree murder.
Under the agreement with prosecutors, Saad admitted to causing
Bieniewicz's death and agreed to a prison sentence of eight to
15 years. Kenny ordered Saad remanded into custody.
Prosecutors had said Saad became upset at Bieniewicz, a longtime
soccer referee, when the referee was about to eject him from an
adult league game on June 29. Bieniewicz died two days later.
An autopsy determined that Bieniewicz had died from blunt force
trauma to the neck and the Wayne County medical examiner ruled
his death a homicide.
(Reporting by Serena Maria Daniels in Detroit; Editing by Mary
Wisniewski and Eric Beech)
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