Zachary Gibian Gets 25 Years In Stepdad's Samurai Sword Slaying

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A Long Island man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after admitting he killed his sleeping stepfather with a samurai sword in 2005.

Suffolk County prosecutors say 24-year-old Zachary Gibian pleaded guilty earlier this month to manslaughter. He admitted that in 2005, he nearly beheaded Scott Nager, a retired NYPD officer, as he slept on a couch in his Hauppauge home.

Gibian had once claimed his mother was the actual killer. He later changed his story and said he inflicted the fatal blow. His mother was never charged. He also claimed his stepfather sexually abused him, but recanted the story when he pleaded guilty.

An appeals court had overturned Gibian's previous conviction on a technicality. He pleaded guilty just before his second trial was to begin.

(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)-- A Long Island man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after admitting he killed his sleeping stepfather with a samurai sword in 2005.

Suffolk County prosecutors say 24-year-old Zachary Gibian pleaded guilty earlier this month to manslaughter. He admitted that in 2005, he nearly beheaded Scott Nager, a retired NYPD officer, as he slept on a couch in his Hauppauge home.

Gibian had once claimed his mother was the actual killer. He later changed his story and said he inflicted the fatal blow. His mother was never charged. He also claimed his stepfather sexually abused him, but recanted the story when he pleaded guilty.

An appeals court had overturned Gibian's previous conviction on a technicality. He pleaded guilty just before his second trial was to begin.

(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)