OGALLALA, Neb. — A 21-year-old Ogallala man accused of fatally shooting another man last year has been sentenced to decades in prison.

Chet Stenzel was sentenced earlier this month to 49 to 62 years behind bars on charges of manslaughter, use of a firearm to commit a felony, and terroristic threats.

Stenzel pleaded no contest to the charges in November. As part of a plea agreement, a charge of second-degree murder was reduced to manslaughter, and additional charges of use of a firearm to commit a felony and terroristic threats were dismissed.

According to court records, Ogallala police responded to a call in April 2023 at a home in the 400 block of West Sixth Street, where they found 26-year-old Jeremiah Van Linda unconscious with two gunshot wounds to his torso. He was later pronounced dead by emergency responders.

Witnesses told police Stenzel shot Van Linda and then threatened a woman at the scene. Officers found Stenzel in the basement of the home and took him into custody. Authorities later discovered a semi-automatic rifle, believed to be the weapon used in the shooting, in Stenzel’s bedroom.