File photo by JEFFREY HASTINGS Numerous police vehicles, including the State Police Major Crime Unit truck, line the long driveway to 19 Baboosic Lake Road in Amherst in November 2018 as officials investigate the fatal shooting that led to the arrest of Bryson Peluso, who has plead guilty to manslaughter. (File photo by JEFFREY HASTINGS)

MANCHESTER – Bryson Peluso, the Amherst man accused of shooting and killing an acquaintance at a Thanksgiving Eve party two years ago has agreed to plead guilty to a manslaughter charge, according to documents filed in court this month.

Peluso, now 29, faces up to 15-30 years in State Prison, which is the sentence that prosecutors are expected to recommend at Peluso’s sentencing hearing, which is scheduled for 8 a.m. Feb. 2 in Hillsborough County Superior Court North.

Peluso is accused of fatally shooting Brandon Kluz, 23, in the chest during a party at 19 Baboosic Lake Road. Kluz died not long afterward. An autopsy ruled the cause of death as a gunshot wound to the chest, and the manner of death was homicide.

As for the agreement, the parties agreed to a so-called “capped plea” agreement, in which prosecutors and defense attorneys present their respective cases to the judge then recommend what they feel is an appropriate sentence.

In the agreement, which Judge David Anderson accepted on Dec. 8, it is noted that “the state will ask for 15-30 years,” but it doesn’t indicate what sentence the defense may recommend.

In entering the guilty plea to the charge of manslaughter, Peluso admits he “committed the act recklessly,” and that he is guilty of the offense.

The agreement also includes an order that Peluso make restitution for “funeral-related expenses,” presumably to Kluz’s family. Peluso is also ordered to undergo counseling, the agreement states.

Peluso, who has been in Valley Street jail since his arrest, will remain held without bail pending sentencing.

Peluso was initially charged with two counts of second-degree murder, on which a grand jury indicted him in June 2019.

Both charges accuse him of causing Kluz’s death “by shooting him in the chest with a pistol,” one charge alleges he “knowingly” caused Kluz’s death, while the other alleges he “recklessly” caused his death.

There is no mention of those charges in the plea agreement, an indication that they may have been nol prossed, or dropped, as part of the agreement.

Peluso and Kluz were among a number of people at the Thanksgiving Eve party at 19 Baboosic Lake Road, a large, three-story house just across Route 101 from the Amherst police station.

It was just after midnight that police and first-responders were called to the residence for a reported shooting.

When police and medical personnel arrived, several party-goers told them that a man had been shot inside the house, and directed them to his location.

Kluz died not long afterward. An autopsy ruled the cause of death as a gunshot wound to the chest, and the manner of death was homicide.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.

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