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NJ Man Gets Prison Term In Concert Hall Beating Death

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) — A southern New Jersey man who caused the death of an acquaintance while they tailgated outside a Jimmy Buffett concert two years ago is now headed to state prison.

Camden County Prosecutor Mary Eva Colalillo says 22-year-old Matthew Shields of Westville received a four-year sentence Friday.

Shields had pleaded guilty in March to manslaughter charges stemming from the August 2012 death of Ryan Cole. Shields admitted to punching the 20-year-old Bellmawr man in the back of the head while they were in the parking lot of the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, on the shore of the Delaware River.

Cole hit his head on the pavement when he fell and died three days later.

Authorities have not said why Shields struck Cole.

(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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