Subscribe:

Friday, November 22, 2013

Egg Harbor Township Man Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter in Death of 1-year-old Boy

Larry Atwell - Atl. County Justice Facility
Egg Harbor Twp. – An Egg Harbor Township man pleaded guilty to manslaughter in connection with the death in 2010 of a 1-year-old boy, Acting Atlantic County Prosecutor Jim McClain announced.
On Friday morning, November 22, 2013, Larry Atwell, 45, of Egg Harbor Township, NJ, pleaded guilty to the 2nd degree crime of manslaughter, for recklessly causing the death on September 5, 2010 to a 1-year-old boy, Cory Sechtin, of Ventnor, the injuries received on September 5th resulting in the child’s death three days later.

On September 5, 2010, Egg Harbor Township Police responded to a call of an injured child who had allegedly fallen and been injured while with a childcare provider at a residence located on the 300 block of Zion Road.
Upon arrival, police found 1-year-old Cory Sechtin, of Ventnor, seriously injured. Sechtin was flown to Cooper Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries three days later. Upon completion of an autopsy, Sechtin’s death was ruled a homicide.
Following an extensive investigation by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Crimes Against Children Unit in conjunction with the Egg Harbor Township Police Department, Atwell, 44, was indicted on June 28, 2012 by an Atlantic County Grand Jury for aggravated manslaughter, manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child, and subsequently arrested and lodged in the Atlantic County Justice Facility on $350,000 bail. Atwell was later released from jail after posting bond.
Today, Larry Atwell pleaded guilty to manslaughter before Judge Bernard DeLury of Atlantic County Superior Court, agreeing that Cory Sechtin died of abusive head trauma. According to the plea agreement, Atwell can receive a 7 year sentence in State Prison and must serve 85% of any sentence imposed before becoming eligible for parole.
Chief Assistant Prosecutor Pam D’Arcy, who represented the State in the case, said that, “I hope that Cory’s mother can obtain some closure from this result.”
***The indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Anyone with information involving serious crimes is asked to call the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-909-7800 or go to the Prosecutor’s Office Web site at http://www.acpo.org/tips.html and provide information by filling out the form anonymously on the Submit a Tip page. People can also call Crime Stoppers at 609-652-1234 or 1-800-658-8477 (TIPS) or visit the Crime Stoppers Website at http://www.crimestoppersatlantic.com/. Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards for information leading to the arrest and indictment of those who commit crimes in Atlantic County.

0 comments:

Post a Comment

 
Web Analytics