Guilty plea planned in Dias slaying

SANDPOINT — A Bonner County man accused of gunning down another man outside a Sandpoint apartment building in 2018 is pleading guilty to an amended murder charge, court records show.

Fabian F.C. Rebeterano was charged with first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon in connection with the shooting death of Blas Salvadore Alonzo “Duke” Dias. He pleaded not guilty to the offenses and was slated to stand trial in August.

Rebeterano, however, entered into a prertrial settlement agreement following mediation, court records indicate. The agreement reduces the murder charge down to second degree and dismisses the firearm possession charge in exchange for a plea.

Second-degree murder is punishable by 10 years to life in prison, although the state and the defense have agreed recommend a 15-year prison term, the first five years of which are fixed, court documents indicate. An change-of-plea hearing in the case is set for Aug. 8 in 1st District Court.

Rebeterano, 40, is free on $50,000 bail while the case is pending.

Dias, 34, was fatally shot in the chest at the threshold to his apartment at the Meandering Moose along U.S. Highway 2 on Aug. 6, 2018. The slaying went unsolved for seven months, until a Bonner County grand jury indicted Rebeterano in March.

Dias, according to court records, was awaiting trial on misdemeanor battery and malicious injury to property charges for allegedly punching and choking Rebeterano’s 16-year-old daughter on July 14, 2018, at the time of his death. Authorities, however, have not disclosed a motive in the killing of Dias.

Rebeterano is accused of shooting Dias in the chest with a .22-caliber pistol, which he was barred from possessing due to a methamphetamine possession conviction. The amended indictment alleges Rebeterano shot and killed Dias with malice aforethought, but without premeditation.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.