15 year old Dederic Matthews Jr. acting nonchalant during his sentencing for the shooting death of Eric Armstead. The teen signed a plea deal in Allen County Common Pleas court to the reduced charge of involuntary manslaughter.
Prosecutors say several confrontations and fights lead to the august 30th death. Matthews, the youngest of a group of five co-defendants, was the gunman.
"This defendant got out of the vehicle, walked up the alley, and through the cover of a fence, shot at 620 Madison avenue shooting and killing the victim in this case. Eric Armstead would have been 16 at the time. It was the first day of his sophomore year of high school," said Chris Steffan, Assistant Allen County Prosecutor.
Matthews refused to speak when Judge Richard Warren asked if he had anything to say.
The victim's father, Alexander Armstead, didn't condemn the teenager, instead he spoke of regret.
"I hate what went down. I wish I could have known about it. I could have avoided it," said Armstead.
He also had words of advice for the boy who killed his young son.
"Do what you got to do. Keep your head up. Be a better man, okay. Be a leader not a follower," said Armstead.
The deal will put Matthews behind bars for nearly the length of time he's been alive. Matthews is now 15 years old, his sentence adds up to 13 years.
Matthews originally faced murder charges with a possible sentence of 18 years to life in prison.
The cases of three other co-defendants are still pending in Allen County Common Pleas Court. The final co-defendant, Devonte Upshaw was sentenced earlier this year in juvenile court.
