Man scheduled to be sentenced for Burlington slaying

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) - A 43-year-old Fort Madison man is scheduled to be sentenced Monday after pleading guilty last month to voluntary manslaughter.

Lenard "Ray" Polhans had made a deal with prosecutors who lowered the original charge of first-degree murder in exchange for Polhans' pleas to the manslaughter charge and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was convicted in the June 1 shooting death of 35-year-old Marvin "Whitey" Sutton in Burlington.

The Hawk Eye reports (http://bit.ly/1CXGRAt ) that Polhans has maintained his innocence since his arrest, saying he acted in self-defense after Sutton used a hammer to strike him in the back during an argument.

___

Information from: The Hawk Eye, http://www.thehawkeye.com