This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A Clearfield man accused of causing the death of a woman when he punched her during a fight at a New Year's Eve party has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge.
Alcario Jesus Archuleta-Valdez, 33, was initially charged with one count of third-degree felony charge of homicide by assault for the death of 31-year-old Bobbie Jo Barnett, also of Clearfield.
Archuleta-Valdez pleaded guilty last week to class A misdemeanor assault.
He faces up to a year in jail when he is sentenced Jan. 12 by Judge David Connors.
On Jan. 1, 2015, Archuleta-Valdez and Barnett were at a party when a fight broke out between two other people, according to charging documents.
After the fight, Barnett walked toward where Archuleta-Valdez was standing. Archuleta-Valdez, who was drunk, "then turned around and punched the victim, which caused the victim to fall and hit her head," charges state.
Police say Barnett stood up and walked around immediately after the punch, but two days later she complained of a bad headache and was taken to hospital where she died of head trauma, according to the Associated Press.
According to plea agreement documents, Archuleta-Valdez's sentence in the assault case will run concurrently to three cases in Davis and Weber counties, for which — at the time of Barnett's death — he had been serving probation: third-degree felony attempted theft by receiving, third-degree felony possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor failure to stop at the command of law enforcement.