Lundy Offers Plea In Murder Of Stepdad
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Jen [email protected]
Colt Lundy, 15, of Cromwell, appeared in Kosciusko Circuit Court Wednesday afternoon to submit a potential plea agreement. Lundy is accused, along with 12-year-old Paul Gingerich, of murdering Lundy's stepfather, Phil Danner, on April 20.
Represented by David Kolbe, Lundy answered questions from Judge Rex Reed about his intentions to plead guilty if the agreement is accepted.
A charge of conspiracy to commit murder, a Class A felony, was added to the charges of murder and aiding murder Lundy already faces.
As part of the agreement, Lundy would plead guilty to the conspiracy to commit murder charge and the other two charges would be dismissed. The agreement does not put a limitation on possible penalties for the crime. The penalties for a Class A felony include a 20- to 50-year prison sentence and up to $10,000 in fines. The presumptive sentence for a Class A felony is 30 years, but 10 years can be subtracted for mitigating circumstances or 20 years can be added for aggravating circumstances.
Judge Reed placed Lundy under oath, and Prosecutor Steve Hearn questioned Lundy about the facts of the case.
When Hearn asked him if he and Gingerich made a plan and then killed his stepfather, Lundy replied yes.
Lundy verified that he and Gingerich were at a park when they devised a plan to kill Danner and then run away. Lundy said he entered the home first and then let Gingerich in through an open window in a bedroom where Lundy had two loaded guns waiting. The boys then went into the living room and waited for Danner to enter the room. Each boy fired shots at Danner, and as a result of those shots, Danner died.
After asking Lundy questions to verify that the he understood the contents of the plea agreement, Judge Reed ordered the probation department to prepare a pre-sentence investigation report. After reviewing the report and the plea agreement, Judge Reed will announce his decision at a hearing in open court Sept. 27.
Gingerich will be in front of Judge Reed in Kosciusko Circuit Court today for a hearing on an appeal. In June, Judge Reed approved a motion to consolidate the trials of Lundy and Gingerich. If the matter goes to trial, there would be a single jury trial with separate verdicts and sentences for each boy.[[In-content Ad]]
Colt Lundy, 15, of Cromwell, appeared in Kosciusko Circuit Court Wednesday afternoon to submit a potential plea agreement. Lundy is accused, along with 12-year-old Paul Gingerich, of murdering Lundy's stepfather, Phil Danner, on April 20.
Represented by David Kolbe, Lundy answered questions from Judge Rex Reed about his intentions to plead guilty if the agreement is accepted.
A charge of conspiracy to commit murder, a Class A felony, was added to the charges of murder and aiding murder Lundy already faces.
As part of the agreement, Lundy would plead guilty to the conspiracy to commit murder charge and the other two charges would be dismissed. The agreement does not put a limitation on possible penalties for the crime. The penalties for a Class A felony include a 20- to 50-year prison sentence and up to $10,000 in fines. The presumptive sentence for a Class A felony is 30 years, but 10 years can be subtracted for mitigating circumstances or 20 years can be added for aggravating circumstances.
Judge Reed placed Lundy under oath, and Prosecutor Steve Hearn questioned Lundy about the facts of the case.
When Hearn asked him if he and Gingerich made a plan and then killed his stepfather, Lundy replied yes.
Lundy verified that he and Gingerich were at a park when they devised a plan to kill Danner and then run away. Lundy said he entered the home first and then let Gingerich in through an open window in a bedroom where Lundy had two loaded guns waiting. The boys then went into the living room and waited for Danner to enter the room. Each boy fired shots at Danner, and as a result of those shots, Danner died.
After asking Lundy questions to verify that the he understood the contents of the plea agreement, Judge Reed ordered the probation department to prepare a pre-sentence investigation report. After reviewing the report and the plea agreement, Judge Reed will announce his decision at a hearing in open court Sept. 27.
Gingerich will be in front of Judge Reed in Kosciusko Circuit Court today for a hearing on an appeal. In June, Judge Reed approved a motion to consolidate the trials of Lundy and Gingerich. If the matter goes to trial, there would be a single jury trial with separate verdicts and sentences for each boy.[[In-content Ad]]
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