SANDPOINT — A Bonner County man pleaded guilty on Monday to shooting and killing Blas Salvadore Alonzo Dias outside his apartment last year.

Fabian F.C. Rebeterano entered the plea to an amended charge of second-degree murder in 1st District Court, setting the stage for a sentencing hearing on Oct. 22. He is free on bond, court records show.

Dias, 34, was found mortally wounded outside his apartment at the Meandering Moose alongside U.S. Highway 2 on Aug. 6, 2018. Sandpoint Police said Dias was shot in the chest upon opening the door to his apartment and the assailant fled on foot.

The slaying went unsolved until the spring of this year, when a grand jury indicted Rebeterano on charges of first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Rebeterano was barred from possessing firearms due to a methamphetamine possession conviction.

Rebeterano, 40, pleaded not guilty to the charges and was awaiting trial when his case was ordered into mediation with Senior District Judge Steve Verby. The upshot of the mediation was a binding plea agreement, which downgraded the murder charge and dismissed the weapon possession charge, court records show.

Second-degree murder is punishable by 10 years to life in prison. However, the agreement is recommending a 15-year prison sentence, the first five years of which would be fixed.

The state and defense are asking District Judge Barbara Buchanan to bind the court to the agreement. The court typically decides whether to bind itself to an agreement after reviewing an Idaho Department of Correction pre-sentence investigation.

If Buchanan declines to adhere to the agreement, Rebeterano will be allowed to withdraw his plea of guilt and proceed to trial, court documents indicate.

Authorities have not divulged a motive in the case, although court documents indicate Dias was awaiting trial for allegedly punching and choking Rebeterano’s teenage daughter at the Meandering Moose in the weeks leading up to the shooting.

Ten days after the shooting, Sandpoint Police executed a search warrant on Namaste Path, the same road where the teen and Rebeterano lived, according to Bonner Dispatch and court records.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.