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Alford Plea in Death of Black Man During White Nationalist Rally

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) - A Florida man charged for his role in the beating of a black man during a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, has entered an Alford plea.

The Daily Progress reports 50-year-old Tyler Watkins Davis acknowledged prosecutors had enough evidence to convict him of malicious wounding without admitting guilt Friday. Davis was one of four charged in the Aug. 12, 2017, beating of DeAndre Harris.

Prosecutor Nina-Alice Antony said video shows Davis striking Harris in the head with a tire thumper, which resembles a club.

Davis' attorney, Matthew L. Engle, didn't dispute Harris' injuries, but said he would have argued Davis acted in "imperfect self-defense" if the case had gone to trial.

The other three men charged have already been sentenced to prison. Davis faces up to 20 years when he's sentenced in August.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.