A 40-year-old Bend man was convicted Monday of criminally negligent homicide in the fatal shooting of a man near Mayfield Pond east of the city last summer.

Jesse Aaron Ray pleaded no contest in Deschutes County Circuit Court to charges stemming from the June 30 killing of Neil J. Martell, 53, of Bend.

Ray was firing a gun at a berm on Bureau of Land Management land off Alfalfa Market Road — a location reportedly used for target practice — when one of his bullets struck Martell, who was camping about 100 yards behind the berm.

Deschutes County District Attorney Steve Gunnels said Tuesday that the no contest plea was reached after an all-day settlement conference that involved attorneys going to the shooting scene.

Those who attended the conference were Deschutes County Presiding Judge Wells Ashby, two Deschutes County prosecutors, a detective assigned to the case and Ray’s defense attorney, Katherine Christine Griffith.

Gunnels said the conference was needed so Ashby and the lawyers could see where the crime happened, where Ray stood when he shot at the target, and where Martell was camping. This also allowed Ashby and the attorneys to discuss outcomes should the case proceed to trial and “what a sensible negotiated settlement” would look like.

Ray originally faced charges of first-degree manslaughter in the incident. Prosecutors alleged he left the area and did nothing to try and save Martell as he died.

Ray left Oregon days after he was released from police custody following the shooting, but was later apprehended by the authorities in Mexico before being transported to the Deschutes County jail, where he remained as of Tuesday, according to the district attorney’s office.

By pleading no contest and waiving his rights to a jury trial, Ray faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, according to court records. But Gunnels said the charge of criminally negligent homicide typically results in a 1½-year prison sentence.

Reached by phone, Ashby and Gunnels said they would reserve comments about the settlement until after Ray is sentenced.

Griffith, Ray’s defense attorney, did not respond to a request for comment prior to press time.

Ray’s sentencing is scheduled for March 2.