Medina pleads guilty to lesser charges for 2013 beating death of Sidney man

On Tuesday Theodore Medina, 24, pled guilty in Cheyenne County district court to reduced charges for the November 2013 beating death of 51-year-old Ernest Ward.

An altercation in Ward’s home between he and Medina, who was Ward’s ex son-in-law, ultimately ended in Ward’s death due to blunt force head injuries. Medina also pled guilty on Tuesday for the part he played in a jailhouse fight two days after Ward’s demise.

Medina was initially charged with first degree assault, a class two felony and manslaughter, a class three felony for his role in Ward’s death. He was originally cha...