ANGOLA, IN (WTVB) – An Angola, Indiana man admitted in a Steuben County courtroom Monday that he killed his father last March.
The Herald-Republican reports 26-year-old Cody Scott Smith entered into a plea agreement in Steuben Superior Court which calls for a sentencing cap of 55 years. Murder in Indiana carries a sentence of between 45 and 65 years.
Judge William Fee took the plea agreement under advisement.
51-year-old Rusty Smith of rural Angola was found dead on March 9, 2016 from a gunshot wound near his home east of Lake Gage.
Sheriffs deputies and police officers found the body near the road after Steuben County 911 received a call about a man who was possibly shot at about 12:26 p.m. that afternoon.
Witnesses told investigators that Smith’s 25-year-old son Cody fled in a car. He was accompanied by a woman and her infant child.
Police from several agencies searched for nearly three hours before Smith, the woman and the child were found at a home on West Nevada Mills Road.
Smith’s defense lawyer filed a motion last August to determine if his client was competent enough to stand trial.
Monday’s plea was filed during a scheduled pre-trial conference and hearing to determine competency. Smith was scheduled to go on trial for the murder of his father on April 25, 2017.
