A guilty plea was entered for one of the four defendants charged in connection with the drug-related death of 17-month-old Patrick Nicholas Lerch.
The Beacon Journal reports Allen Kostra, 25, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and other felonies. Prosecutors say he faces up to 11 years in prison.
Kostra accepted a plea deal which includes testifying in the murder trial of the child's mother, 21-year-old Heather Lerch.
Lerch's boyfriend, Randy Legg, 19, and his brother Ronald Legg, 22, are currently awaiting trial.
Police found an active meth lab in a home on St. Ledger Avenue where 17-month-old Patrick Lerch was found unresponsive February 26th. The toddler's death was ruled a homicide from methamphetamine intoxication.
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