New Jersey father pleads guilty in death of 3-year-old son
CAMDEN, New Jersey -- David Creato, Jr., of New Jersey, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in connection with the death of his young son back in 2015.
According to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office, Creato pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of first-degree aggravated manslaughter.
"Creato stated under oath that he recklessly caused his son's death under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life by depriving Brendan of oxygen on October 13, 2015," the prosecutor said in a statement.
In exchange for pleading guilty, Creato will serve 10 years behind bars. He will be required to serve at least eight years and six months of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.
Brendan Creato's mother, Samantha Denoto, and other family members who attended the lengthy trial were present in court for the plea.
Creato will be sentenced on September 29, 2017.
Creato's previous murder trial ended with a hung jury back in late May, and a new trial had been set to begin on September 11. The plea means Creato will not have to sit through another trial.
Creato was charged with killing 3-year-old Brendan Creato in Haddon Township in October of 2015 after Brendan's pajama-clad body was found in a wooded area near Creato's home.
Creato always maintained the child wandered away, but prosecutors disputed that claim.
During the trial, they pointed out Brendan's socks were clean, which they said would be impossible if he had wandered away from home and into the woods.
Prosecutors had maintained Creato killed his son because he feared his 17-year-old girlfriend, who was away at college, was going to leave him. She had made it clear she didn't want to be around his child and wanted him to give up custody.
The couple has since broken up.
The case against Creato was always considered circumstantial.
There were no witnesses, DNA, or surveillance video to connect him to the death.
