A gavel rests on a desk in this undated photo.
A man pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the vicious beating of another man who tried to stop the sexual assault and beating of the defendant’s girlfriend near a park in Arlington, Virginia, in 2018.
In exchange for the plea, other charges against Michael Nash were dropped and his sentence will be no more than 45 years in prison. First-degree murder can carry a sentence of up to life in prison.
Nash was walking with a woman in the area of S. George Mason Drive when he started to physically and sexually attack her Oct. 18, 2018, according to police.
Patricio Salazar, 54, saw the attack and tried to help the victim. That's when Nash assaulted Salazar, leaving him unconscious, police say. Salazar died from his injuries at the hospital.
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Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 3. Nash's attorney said his client will speak at sentencing to express remorse for the crime.
