A New Kensington man pleaded guilty to homicide today in a 2008 stabbing death and thereby avoided a trial and possible life sentence.

Shaun Raisor, 23, pleaded guilty to all the charges against him in the death of 21-year-old Bryan Akers, of Etna, namely: homicide, arson, tampering with physical evidence and abuse of a corpse. In exchange for that plea, the district attorney's office agreed to a sentence of 25 to 50 years in prison, which Allegheny County Judge Joseph K. Williams III imposed.

Etna police learned of the slaying after the victim's mother went to them to file a missing person's report, stating that his silver pickup had been found burned in Plum.

After a 911 call from the defendant's brother, police spoke to the defendant and he eventually confessed to stabbing the victim on June 21, after the two men got into a fight at the former Atlas Cement Plant in Penn Hills. He told investigators he picked up a hunting knife, grabbed the victim from behind and stabbed him repeatedly in the upper body.

He later led police to a hole filled with dried concrete debris where he had concealed Mr. Akers' body. After the killing, Mr. Raisor drove the victim's truck to the location it was found and ignited it.

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