A New Jersey man facing a second trial for allegedly killing his 3-year-old son out of fear that his teenage girlfriend would leave him pleaded guilty Wednesday to aggravated manslaughter.
David ‘DJ’ Creato Jr’s plea came just weeks before he was due to stand trial again on murder charges.
He admitted in court that he ‘recklessly caused his son’s death under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life by depriving Brendan of oxygen.’
Surprise plea deal: David ‘DJ’ Creato Jr, 23 (pictured in May, left), on Wednesday pleaded guilty aggravated manslaughter in the 2015 death of his son, Brendan (right)
Stumbling block: Prosecutors said Creato killed Brendan because the toddler had become an impediment in his relationship with his then-17-year-old girlfriend
Camden County prosecutors will recommend Creato, 23, receive a 10-year prison term when he’s sentenced September 29.
Prosecutors have said Creato killed his son, Brendan Creato, in 2015 because the toddler had become an impediment in his relationship with his then-17-year-old girlfriend, who was away at college.
She had made it clear she didn’t want to be around his son and wanted him to give up custody.
The girlfriend, who is now 19 years old, was never charged in Brendan’s death and the couple has since broken up.
Creato had maintained that his son wandered away from his Haddon Township home on October 13, 2015. The father called 911 around 6am to report the toddler missing.
Brendan’s mother, Samantha Denoto (pictured together) were on hand during Wednesday’s plea hearing
The boy’s body dressed in a pajama, neon green socks and Mickey Mouse slippers, was found hours later in a wooded area by the Cooper River, about a mile from the home.
During the first murder trial, which ended in a mistrial in May when jurors could not reach a verdict, Camden County prosecutors said the boy’s socks were clean, which would be impossible if he had wandered away from home and walked over mud and dirt.
A medical examiner had testified Brendan died from ‘homicidal violence’ but couldn’t determine where or when the death had occurred.
Brendan’s brain showed an abnormality consistent with oxygen deprivation that can be caused by asphyxiation, drowning or strangulation, but it couldn’t be determined which of those led to his death.
Brendan’s mother, Samantha Denoto, and other relatives were on hand during Wednesday’s plea hearing.