Harborcreek teen pleads guilty, mentally ill in grandma's killing
ERIE — A 16-year-old Pennsylvania boy has pleaded guilty but mentally ill in the 2016 shooting death of his grandmother.
The Erie Times-News reports Hunter Reeser entered the plea on Friday morning as part of a deal with prosecutors.
Reeser was 14 when he was charged with shooting 60-year-old Sandra Orton as she sat in a vehicle outside their Harborcreek Township home. Police say Reeser told them shot her because he didn’t want to go to a meeting at school.
He’ll be sentenced in March.
His lawyer is asking that Reeser receive the minimum sentence of seven years, citing Reeser’s chaotic childhood and history of mental illness.
A defense expert testified Reeser shows signs of paranoid schizophrenia.
A judge previously threw out Reeser’s recorded confession to police, saying Reeser couldn’t understand the consequences.
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