Uniontown man withdraws guilty plea in East Huntingdon baby's drowning death

A Uniontown man who agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge in the 2019 drowning death of a baby in East Huntingdon will go to trial after a judge allowed him to withdraw his admission of guilt.

Derrick A. Bass, 31, now claims he is innocent of the murder of 11-month-old Niomie Miller, who was found dead under a blanket in a playpen by her mother after she returned home from work at the Laurel Hill Apartments near Scottdale on July 13, 2019.

Westmoreland County prosecutors said the baby’s mother, Sarah Miller, had been dating Bass for only a few days when she left her daughter at home to be cared for by him.

Bass was arrested several days later near Cleveland and initially denied any involvement in the baby’s death, claiming he left the child with a neighbor. According to court records, he eventually told police the baby was unresponsive while in his care and that he ran water on her face and back in an attempt to revive her, then left the home with his two children, two televisions and 27 DVDs.

During a hearing in August, Bass said it was in his best interest to accept a plea deal of third-degree murder, abuse of a corpse and other offenses and receive a sentence of up to 40 years in prison. Bass originally was charged with a general count of criminal homicide, and prosecutors initially said they would ask a jury to find him guilty of first-degree murder in an intentional killing, a crime that carries a mandatory life prison sentence for a conviction.

“When he pleaded guilty, he told the judge it was in his best interest, then he changed his mind and thought it wasn’t in his best interest. He said he’s innocent, and the death was accidental,” Assistant Public Defender Jack Manderino said.

Manderino said Bass’ defense will argue at trial his actions were not intentional and the child’s death was not a result of malice and suggested a verdict of involuntary manslaughter is a potential outcome in the case.

Bass was allowed to withdraw his plea in part because he had yet been sentenced, Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Scott Mears said.

At the time of his plea, then District Attorney John Peck said he agreed to the deal because he envisioned difficulty in convincing a jury to convict Bass of first-degree murder. Bass admitted to causing the child’s death but never confessed to how it was done or claimed he intended for the child to die, Peck said last summer.

Bass can be prosecuted for every crime originally charged, the judge ruled.

District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli, in a statement issued Wednesday, said first-degree murder still is a potential outcome in the case.

“We are going to proceed with all of the charges listed as counts in the criminal information, which would include first-degree murder,” Ziccarelli said.

Bass pleaded guilty in two unrelated cases Wednesday morning, one that involved vandalism at the Monessen police station in which authorities claim he broke a faucet and another case in which he was charged with threats against a woman. He received probation sentences in both cases.

Three other criminal cases, including allegations he assaulted his 14-year-old son in 2018, along with retail theft and another theft allegation, are pending against Bass.