Jonathan Brown, 19, is the second teen in line to file a plea after Roderick Silas, 16, did so in December. The trial date for the third defendant, Shaun Thompson, 17, was set during a separate Monday hearing for August.
The three teens, all of Gary, allegedly picked up Adriana Saucedo, 27, on Nov. 19, 2019, at her Portage home for a drug deal arranged by Silas on Facebook. The trio decided to rob her instead, according to court documents, and Thompson allegedly shot and killed her.
DeBoer started Brown’s hearing by going over the proposed plea agreement, which called for him to plead guilty to a Level 2 Felony count of robbery resulting in serious bodily injury. Charges of murder and murder in the perpetration of a robbery would have been dropped.
Brown, seated beside defense attorney Mark Gruenhagen, replied with, “yes, ma’am,” as DeBoer went over the terms of the plea and informed him that the sentencing range is 10 to 30 years in prison, with an advisory sentence of 17.5 years.
Brown, who was 17 at the time of the alleged crime, said he does not have any prior misdemeanor or felony convictions or adjudications in juvenile court; that he was not on probation, bond or parole at the time of the crime; and that he understood aggravating and mitigating circumstances would be taken into consideration when he’s sentenced.
After Brown told the court his education extended to part of his senior year in high school, DeBoer took a brief recess, at one point taking Gruenhagen and Mary Ryan and Salina Malone, the deputy prosecutors in the case, into her chambers.
“I don’t feel I’m in a position to continue with this hearing at this moment,” she said after she returned to the bench, adding the matter would have to be reset. “I just want to make sure. This is too important not to.”
Another court date has not been set.
Silas, who was 15 at the time of Saucedo’s death and was waived from juvenile to adult court, agreed to plead guilty to a felony count of robbery resulting in serious bodily injury, with felony counts of aiding, inducing or causing a murder and murder in the perpetration of a robbery being dismissed.
As part of his plea, Silas agreed to waive his right to be sentenced within 30 days so that he could cooperate with the prosecutor’s office in the case.
Whether Brown has agreed to testify was not discussed in court since his hearing was cut short.
Thompson, the alleged shooter, who was 16 when Saucedo was killed, is scheduled to stand trial before DeBoer on Aug. 9. The trial is scheduled for seven days.
He tried unsuccessfully to have statements he gave to police after the alleged shooting suppressed as evidence but DeBoer ruled earlier this month that the statements are admissible in his trial.
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