The South Bend man accused of shooting and killing his cousin in Edwardsburg nearly 40 years ago pleaded guilty to the crime Tuesday morning in Cass County court.

Raymond Robert Richmond, 56, pleaded guilty to a single count of second-degree murder in front of Cass County Circuit Court Judge Mark Herman around 10:52 a.m. Richmond will be sentenced for the crime at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 15, according Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz.

Richmond was arrested by police last year for the crime, and was initially charged with open murder and felony firearm charges. Per the terms of the plea agreement reached between Richmond and prosecutors, Fitz’s office will ask the judge to impose a minimum of 12 years to a maximum of 18 years in prison on the defendant, the prosecutor said.

The case was originally set to go to trial before Herman Aug. 8.

Richmond was accused of shooting his cousin, 25-year-old Robert Stasiak, with a .22 caliber rifle during an argument between the two that occurred at the victim’s parents home in Edwardsburg on Nov. 2, 1977. Investigators believe the fight broke out when Richmond became enraged that Stasiak had flushed the man’s stash of marijuana down the toilet.

During his plea, the defendant admitted that he picked up the rifle and pointed it at his cousin during the argument, and said that the gun went off.

Although police initially ruled the incident a suicide, then Edwardsburg Police Department Chief Timothy Kozal reopened the case in 2014. The new investigation uncovered new testimony and evidence that led police to arrest Richmond for the crime.