A young boy accused of killing a friend’s stepfather in 2010 will again be tried as an adult after the court accepted a plea agreement and waived his trial to adult criminal court Monday. Paul Gingerich, 12 years old at the time of the incident, was accused of killing a classmate’s stepfather, Phil Danner, 59 at the time of the incident, on April 20, 2010. Gingerich and a friend, Colt Lundy, 15 years old at the time, were accused of murdering Danner in his home in Cromwell. Danner was shot four times and died in his residence. Gingerich appeared in front of Special Judge James R. Heuer of Whitley County Monday and agreed to plead guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit murder. In exchange, the court agreed to dismiss a count of murder and a count of aiding, inducing or causing murder. The case has also been waived to adult court. Gingerich will appear in adult court Dec. 16 at 10:30 a.m. As a part of his plea agreement, Gingerich has also agreed to spend 30 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections with five years suspended. When he turns 18, the court has agreed to schedule another sentencing hearing. At that time, based on DOC recommendations, Gingerich will either serve his full sentence in the DOC, be placed in a residential facility, be electronically monitored, be placed in a community corrections program, work release, or serve probation, parole, or another appropriate alternative sentence.
