Murder trial averted with negotiated guilty plea

The defendant in a murder trial scheduled to begin Monday opted to enter a guilty plea and avoid the possibility of a sentence of life without parole.

Rashad Anthony Lay, 27, was in Jones County Superior Court Aug. 24 to enter a guilty plea to voluntary manslaughter and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Lay received a sentence of 20 years for voluntary manslaughter and five …