A man pleaded guilty on Thursday in 7th District Court to shooting at a car carrying his estranged wife and her two children in July.

Eric Funk, 26, pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree murder and aggravated assault - both felonies - and one misdemeanor count of reckless endangerment during a hearing before Judge Thomas Sullins.

Funk faces a punishment of up to 46 years imprisonment, not counting monetary penalties, when he is sentenced in about eight weeks, District Attorney Mike Blonigen said after the hearing.

The plea comes five months after July 24, when Funk broke into the west-side house in the 2800 block of Cherokee Lane, where his wife, Meghan Funk, lived and waited for her, according to police records. Earlier that day, she filed for divorce. Eric Funk had threatened to kill her and her children and/or commit suicide if she left him.

Shortly before midnight, she drove her 1995 Oldsmobile Aurora into the driveway, and saw a light in the house that she didn't leave on. She told her children, ages 7 and 8, to get back into the car. Eric Funk then came out of the home with a .45-caliber pistol and began banging it against the driver-side window, according to police records.

As she backed the car out of the driveway, he fired at least five shots, according to police records.

The rim of the steering wheel deflected one of the bullets aimed at Meghan Funk, Blonigen said.

Another bullet severed the finger of the 7-year-old boy, which was later surgically reattached, he said.

After the shooting, Eric Funk barricaded himself into the home, where he slashed his wrists before surrendering to authorities, according to police records.

Meghan Funk, who grew up in Casper, and her two children have since moved away, said Nancy Johnson, the crime victim/witness coordinator with the district attorney's office.

"The victims are doing pretty well," Johnson said after the hearing.

They did not attend Thursday's hearing.

In September, Eric Funk pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of mental illness or deficiency.

Meanwhile, the state amended the criminal information document.

Prosecutors changed the original charge of attempted first-degree murder to second-degree murder because of the difficulty in proving premeditation, dropped another count of aggravated assault and dropped one count of aggravated burglary, Blonigen said.

On Thursday, public defender Kerri Johnson stood by the shackled and orange jumpsuit-clad Funk as he listened to Sullins outline the charges and the consequences of pleading guilty.

Persons convicted of felonies lose their right to vote, their right to serve on juries, their right to own firearms, and their right to hold public office, Sullins said.

Funk told the judge he was pleased with Johnson's representation and understood the consequences of pleading guilty and foregoing a jury trial.

Blonigen told Sullins the state would not seek a prison term of more than 35 years for the second-degree murder plea. Pleading guilty to the aggravated assault and reckless endangerment counts could add another 11 years to the sentence, Blonigen said.

After Funk entered the guilty plea, Sullins ordered a presentence report.

Blonigen later said Funk always recognized he did something wrong and was sorry, factors that may help him during sentencing.

However, because one of the victims was a child, may lead to a harsher sentence, he said.

While the crimes were bad, the outcomes could have been much worse, Blonigen said.

"It is really, truly miraculous that this lady is still alive," he said.

Reach Tom Morton at (307) 266-0592, or at Tom.Morton@trib.com.