Matthew Little pleaded guilty to numerous charges in Carroll County
10/26/20
During his opportunity to speak, Little told the court that "I never should have let (Minard) around drugs and my friends — he was my responsibility."
"... When I got back in the house from the farm and found his body on the couch, I should have called you right away and called the police," Little told Minard's mother while reading a statement. "I was afraid I would get in trouble and I lied."
'Complete closure never comes'
Monday's resolution in the case followed more than a year of hearings, court filings and changing trial dates.
The Carroll County Prosecutor’s Office reached the plea agreement on the same day Little's trial was scheduled to begin with jury selection.
Prosecutor Steven D. Barnett told the judge he had discussed the agreement with the victim's mother, adding the resolution would guarantee a prison term and avoid the risk of a trial.
Several of the charges in the original 15-count indictment were dismissed as part of the agreement.
"No sentence can undo the tremendous loss to Jonathan's family, but we take some solace in the assurance that Little is held accountable to the law for his reckless disregard for Jonathan's life and well-being," Barnett said in a news release issued after the plea hearing.
Who provided the drugs?
Following the hearing, defense attorney William Whitaker said his client took responsibility for his crimes and was genuinely remorseful about his friend's death.
"We think it was a fair resolution of the case," said Whitaker, who along with his daughter, attorney Andrea Whitaker, represented Little.
[..]
However, the attorney emphasized the defendant did not plead guilty to charges holding him responsible for providing the fentanyl-related drug mixture that killed the Dellroy boy.
Whitaker said dismissed charges included a separate involuntary manslaughter count for corrupting another person by drugs. The attorney said evidence in the case doesn't show his client gave drugs to Minard that caused the boy's death.
Barnett acknowledged that point.
Whitaker declined to comment on the question of who provided drugs to Minard, who was a seventh-grader at the time of his death and had been born in Canton.
Barnett, meanwhile, said that "we just can't conclusively prove or disprove" who gave Minard the drugs that killed him.
The prosecutor said the underlying child endangering charge Little pleaded guilty to involves placing a child at risk of serious physical harm that results in the juvenile's death.
Of the time it took to reach a resolution, Barnett said "it was a complex case" with various legal issues and attempts by the defense to suppress evidence.
"That process took some time," he said.
