William “Trig” Long pleaded no contest Friday in New London Superior Court to taking part in the May 21, 2011, shooting death of Johnny Amy in Norwich.

The 37-year-old will be sentenced Jan. 16 to 16 years in prison followed by 12 years of special parole for first-degree manslaughter with a firearm.

According to court documents and testimony at the May 2014 trial of his codefendant, Daquan R. Holmes, Long had retrieved a .22-caliber pistol at his nearby apartment following a closing time dispute with local resident Cornelius Wingate outside of Chacers Bar. Holmes and Long, who were with two women, drove around looking for the man and saw Amy, 25, and another man, Joseph Cadet, walking down the street. Cadet was wearing a red shirt, the same color as the intended target. Long had handed the gun to Holmes before the two men jumped out of the car and gunfire erupted.

A jury convicted Holmes of murder and attempted murder and Judge Barbara Bailey Jongbloed sentenced him to 54 years in prison. Long opted to plead guilty rather than take his case to trial.

Long, who has been incarcerated since September 2011, appeared in court more than 50 times over the past three years while his attorney, Peter E. Scillieri, advocated on his behalf during pretrial discussions in a judge’s chamber. Prosecutor Stephen M. Carney said Friday he had recommended a sentence involving 18 years in prison followed by five years of probation, but that he didn’t object when Judge Hillary B. Strackbein recommended the 16 year sentence followed by 12 years of special parole, a strict form of state supervision.

Amy’s father and other relatives were in the courtroom to hear Long’s plea and are expected to address the court at Long’s sentencing hearing.