Story Published:
Mar 23, 2009 at 5:04 PM CDT
Story Updated:
Mar 23, 2009 at 5:04 PM CDT
GALENA, Mo. -- A man from Monett pleaded guilty on Monday afternoon for the death of a teenager who died two years ago at a party in which she became severely intoxicated. Brandon Himes could face a prison sentence up to four years for second-degree involuntary manslaughter and supplying liquor to an underage drinker. A judge plans to sentence him in July.
Jessica Murphy, 18, died in March 2007 after drinking alcoholic beverages. Prosecutors said Murphy drank "through a beer bong, which is a blue colored 1 quart size funnel, with a transparent green 6 foot, 3/4 inch hose, with a white colored ball valve on the end." A medical examiner said Murphy's blood alcohol level was .406 percent, five times the legal limit for a driver in Missouri. Doctors say the lethal level is .35 percent.
Himes trial was scheduled to start on Monday but was postponed until May 22 at the last minute. Then, in the afternoon, Himes came back to court and pleaded guilty. The prosecutor agreed to reduce the charge from first-degree involuntary manslaughter to second-degree involuntary manslaughter in exchange for avoiding a trial. The penalty for first-degree manslaughter is a prison sentence as long as seven years.
Murphy's family was not in court for the plea hearing. A family representative says relatives would have liked to have been there, although Barry County Prosecuting Attorney Johnny Cox said he did tell Murphy's parents about it beforehand.
A detective wrote in the probable cause statement that Himes "admitted he knew the victim was 'drunk' when he poured the other alcohol in her bong. Himes admitted he poured one of the other types of alcohol besides the beer. Himes admitted he did not intend to kill the victim by pouring the other alcohol in the bong."
The detective said witnesses said Murphy asked to "bong a beer." He said the witnesses saw Himes pour about 375 milliliters of vodka and 375 milliliters of tequila in the bong on top of beer and Murphy drank it all.
Murphy went to sleep in the home where the party was. Friends said they checked on her during the night but she was dead in the morning.
A judge moved Himes' case from Barry County to Lawrence County to try to ensure a fair outcome. In January, the judge and attorneys agreed to move the case to Stone County because Lawrence County
was in the midst of moving its courts from the historic courthouse into a new judicial building in Mount Vernon.
Two people who rented the home in Monett are charged with supplying liquor to underage drinkers at the party and not preventing them from getting drunk. The cases against Joseph Rattles and Dennis Meinke Jr. are pending. Meinke testified at Himes' preliminary hearing that he didn't buy the alcohol and didn't know who did.
