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Sioux City man to enter plea in punching death

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August 10th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A man accused of fatally punching a Sioux City resident is scheduled to enter a plea in the case.

The Sioux City Journal reports that a plea and sentencing hearing has been set Monday for 25-year-old Ray Avila. He had been scheduled to stand trial on Aug. 20.
In June, Avila pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter, assault and flight to avoid prosecution. Avila was arrested in May in Jalisco, Mexico, where he had relatives.

Sioux City police say Avila became involved in an altercation on July 29, 2018, between Juan Espinoza and Peter Johnson. Police say Johnson suffered a skull fracture when Avila knocked him to the pavement. Johnson later died.