Two accused in Merced killing reach plea agreement

Two defendants accused of stabbing a 27-year-old man to death in Merced last year could be released from prison within five years, after reaching a plea agreement with the prosecution Tuesday.

Francisco Ramirez, 31, and Sergio Martinez, 34, were arrested in last year's May 1 stabbing death of Richard Nascimento.

Attorneys said the stabbing happened during a melee between two groups of people, sparked after a 27-year-old man named Dino Vargas, who also was stabbed, urinated on a neighbor's patio.

Ramirez and Martinez on Tuesday pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter in Nascimento's killing, and assault with a deadly weapon in Vargas' stabbing.

As part of the plea agreement, both men will be sentenced to seven years in prison, and will be eligible for parole once they've served 85 percent of their sentences — which means they could be released in five years.

Before Tuesday's hearing, both men had been charged with murder.