A Peru man accused of shooting and killing his girlfriend in February 2022 is now expected to plead guilty for his role in the case.
Jeremiah Smith, 19, was facing formal charges of involuntary manslaughter and criminal recklessness, both Level 5 felonies, and a Level 6 count of pointing a firearm, per court documents.
However, Smith is now set to plead guilty to just the Level 6 charge, according to the Miami County Clerk’s Office.
In Indiana, a Level 6 felony charge carries a weight of 6 months to 2-and-a-half years in prison if convicted. The advisory sentence is one year.
Smith has a sentencing hearing scheduled for 1 p.m. July 19 inside Miami Superior Court 2, online records indicate, where the special judge in the case — the Honorable David Grund of Miami Superior Court 1 — will decide to either accept or reject the plea.
If the plea is accepted, the two Level 5 felonies would then be dismissed.
If the plea is rejected, the case would go back on the court’s calendar.
Around 3:30 p.m. Feb. 24, 2022, police were dispatched to a residence in the 2700 block of Capehart Street — inside the Estates at Eagle’s Pointe in Bunker Hill — in reference to a possible shooting that had taken place.
Upon arrival, authorities located the body of 18-year-old Hanna Cox inside a vehicle, and she had reportedly sustained a single gunshot wound, police noted at the time.
Cox was a senior at Maconaquah High School at the time the shooting occurred.
Further investigation into the incident reportedly led police to Smith.
And during an interview with investigators, Smith stated Cox had come to his residence to return some headphones, and he entered her vehicle to reportedly show her a handgun, court documents indicated.
Smith added that he was holding the gun and reportedly pointing it at Cox, describing to police how he removed the magazine from the gun and believed it to be not working, court documents indicated, and that he was attempting to “fix” it.
He also admitted to authorities that he reportedly pulled the trigger — telling Cox “it don’t work” — when the gun suddenly fired and struck Cox in the right shoulder, a probable cause affidavit stated.
Smith then reportedly stated in his interview that the slide on the firearm locked to the rear after it was fired, and so he put the magazine back in the handgun, causing the slide to then move forward, the affidavit noted.
Smith then exited the vehicle and threw the handgun under a bush as he ran into his residence, court documents indicated.
According to the affidavit, police located a loaded handgun in the same location where Smith said he threw it, and investigators also located a 9mm cartridge casing on the floor of Cox’s vehicle, along with a bullet located near the rear of the driver’s seat.