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If a plea agreement is accepted in Kosciusko Circuit Court, the teen-ager accused of killing a Warsaw woman in October will be sentenced to a maximum of 60 years in prison.
Christopher L. Thompson, 19, of Warsaw, pleaded guilty but mentally ill this morning to charges of murder and being a firearms violator. The murder charge was filed after the body of Jamie Marie Sloan, 21, was found Oct. 7 in a field off CR 800S. She had been shot in the head. The second charge, filed Jan. 28, is an enhancement to the murder charge because the offense occurred by using a firearm.
Court documents indicate that Sloan died Oct. 1 of a shotgun blast to the head. The motive for the shooting is said to be the result of a drug deal gone bad. A sawed-off shotgun believed used in the killing has not been found, but police did recover clothing with what is believed to be blood on the items from the South Buffalo Street residence where Thompson was living at the time of the incident. The car in which the murder took place was found abandoned on Ind. 15 at Redhorse Bait Shop the night of the murder.
The court previously granted a request from court-appointed defense attorney Jay Rigdon for Thompson to be evaluated by a psychiatrist.
At this morning's hearing, Rigdon questioned his client before Judge Rex Reed to show that the guilty plea was being made of Thompson's free will and did not result from any type of coercion.
"On Oct. 1, 1999, did you kill Jamie Marie Sloan?" Rigdon asked. Thompson replied, "Yes."
Rigdon: "How did you accomplish that?" Thompson: "Gun."
Questioning by Reed also received answers from Thompson indicating that he understood the charges against him and the possible penalties. He clearly spoke the word "guilty" when asked by Reed how he would plead to each charge.
If the court accepts Thompson's plea agreement, he could be sentenced to any prison term, but the possibilities of the death penalty or life in prison without parole are not options. A charge of murder carries a prison sentence of 45 to 65 years and the firearms violation would add another five years to any sentence imposed for the murder. Under the terms of the plea agreement, if he receives a sentence in excess of 60 years, any amount over 60 years would be suspended.
Rigdon did not present any evidence to support the claim of mental illness. Reed approved Rigdon's request to postpone that information until sentencing, which is set for 9:30 a.m. April 20.
Thompson smiled and waved at eight of his family members who attended this morning's hearing, and he was allowed to speak with them prior to the start of the hearing.
"I like your hat," Thompson told his grandmother, who said another relative got it for her in India. "That' pretty cool," he said.
The grandmother told him a fish stamp on a recent letter she sent him was bought especially for him. "I'm gonna miss out on fishin'," Thompson said.
After the hearing, each family member was able to hug Thompson before he was returned to the confines of the Kosciusko County Jail, where he has been incarcerated since his arrest Oct. 7.
