CUMBERLAND — Seventy-year-old Alexander Malaska of Oldtown will serve eight years in prison after be-ing sentenced Tuesday in connection with the March shooting death of 43-year-old Dennis Liller.
Malaska appeared be-fore Allegany County Circuit Court Judge Gary G. Leasure, who imposed the sentence for conviction of voluntary man-slaughter. Malaska was convicted of the charge in a circuit court jury trial in September.
Malaska was indicted by an Allegany County grand jury in April after he was arrested March 28 for firing a single shot that wounded Liller in the upper torso before he was pronounced dead.
Investigators were told that a land dispute had been brewing since September, when Malaska and Leroy Robertson were unable to resolve the issue of who owned property between their residences in the 23000 block of Pack Horse Trail.
Robertson’s daughter and Liller confronted Malaska’s son outside his home, police said.
Witnesses told police that when Liller and Michael Malaska got in a physical fight, Alexander Malaska came out of his home with a rifle.
Alexander Malaska reportedly fired the .22-caliber rifle several times into the road and one of the shots killed Liller.
The case was investigated by the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit, C3I Unit, Maryland Natural Resources Police and the Allegany County Sheriff’s Office.
Erich Bean of the Allegany County State’s Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. Malaska was represented by Michael Stankan of the Office of the Public Defender.
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ALEXANDER MALASKA
Oldtown man gets eight-year prison term in shooting death of neighbor
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