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RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) - A South Dakota man accused of beating another man to death with a baseball bat while the man slept has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

Prosecutors in return for the plea have dropped first-degree murder charges against 21-year-old Kyle Yankton and will seek a prison term between 23 and 30 years.

Authorities say Yankton entered his ex-girlfriend's house in Pine Ridge on June 30 and beat to death her boyfriend, 23-year-old Pablo Galindo.

Yankton is to be sentenced April 1. If a judge rejects the plea agreement, Yankton could face life in prison.

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Material may not be redistributed.

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